Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Hilltop Holdings has an average “Moderate Buy” rating from five analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $40.00 versus a recent share price of $38.94.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Hilltop reported earnings of $0.63 per share, beating the $0.49 consensus estimate, while revenue of $315.81 million also topped forecasts.
• The company raised its dividend: Hilltop increased its quarterly payout from $0.20 to $0.22 per share, equivalent to an annualized dividend of $0.88 and a 2.3% yield.

Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.00.

HTH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Hilltop in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hilltop from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Hilltop from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th.

Hilltop Price Performance

Shares of Hilltop stock opened at $38.94 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.77. Hilltop has a fifty-two week low of $30.78 and a fifty-two week high of $40.41. The firm has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.42 and a beta of 0.88.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $315.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $306.18 million. Hilltop had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 7.40%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hilltop will post 2.59 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Hilltop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. Hilltop's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.59%.

Insider Transactions at Hilltop

In related news, Director Rhodes Bobbitt sold 20,000 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.12, for a total value of $802,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 56,096 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,250,571.52. This trade represents a 26.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders sold 52,555 shares of company stock worth $2,087,714. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilltop in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilltop by 276.4% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,370 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Hilltop by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hilltop in the 2nd quarter valued at about $62,000. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hilltop

Hilltop Holdings Inc is a Dallas-based financial services holding company that provides banking, mortgage lending and securities services through its operating subsidiaries. Its businesses serve individuals, businesses, financial institutions, government entities and other organizations.

PlainsCapital Bank, Hilltop's banking subsidiary, offers commercial and consumer banking products, including loans, deposit accounts, treasury management and wealth management services. The bank primarily serves customers in Texas through its branch network and related financial services operations.

Hilltop's other principal businesses include PrimeLending, a residential mortgage lender that originates and services home loans through a nationwide platform, and HilltopSecurities, a broker-dealer that provides investment banking, public finance, institutional brokerage, fixed-income trading and advisory services.

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