Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) CEO Steve Thompson Sells 9,025 Shares

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) CEO Steve Thompson sold 9,025 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total value of $359,556.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,817 shares in the company, valued at $3,657,989.28. The trade was a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Hilltop Price Performance

Shares of HTH opened at $40.02 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.60 and a 200-day moving average of $33.97. Hilltop Holdings Inc. has a 1 year low of $27.35 and a 1 year high of $40.39. The company has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.10 and a beta of 0.94.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $217.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.15 million. Hilltop had a net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 7.47%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HTH shares. Zacks Research raised Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stephens increased their price target on Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $37.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Hilltop during the second quarter worth $27,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 584.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Hilltop by 37.3% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Hilltop during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hilltop Company Profile

Hilltop Holdings, Inc (NYSE: HTH) is a Dallas, Texas–based financial holding company offering commercial banking, mortgage lending and capital markets services through its three primary subsidiaries: PlainsCapital Corporation, PrimeLending and HilltopSecurities. PlainsCapital provides deposit, lending and treasury management solutions to small and mid-sized businesses, professionals and individuals. PrimeLending specializes in home purchase and refinance loans, serving retail, wholesale and correspondent channels.