Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Buys 28,482 Shares of Guild Holdings Company $GHLD

Key Points

• Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in Guild Holdings Company by 4.5%, acquiring an additional 28,482 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 657,132 shares valued at $10.05 million.
• Several large investors, including Donald Smith & Co. and Citadel Advisors, also raised their stakes in Guild, indicating increased institutional interest in the stock, which is currently 17.52% owned by institutional investors.
• The company recently announced a $0.25 special dividend paid to shareholders, with a consensus target price of $18.42 and an average rating of "Hold" from analysts.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Guild Holdings Company (NYSE:GHLD - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 657,132 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 28,482 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 1.06% of Guild worth $10,054,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GHLD. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its stake in Guild by 10.5% during the first quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 380,925 shares of the company's stock worth $5,828,000 after acquiring an additional 36,183 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Guild by 57.5% in the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 6,134 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Guild by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 2,421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Guild by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 1,709 shares in the last quarter. 17.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Guild Stock Performance

Guild stock remained flat at $19.95 during mid-day trading on Friday. The company had a trading volume of 1,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,279. The firm's 50 day moving average is $19.90 and its 200-day moving average is $16.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a PE ratio of 51.16, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.94. Guild Holdings Company has a fifty-two week low of $11.21 and a fifty-two week high of $23.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.05 and a quick ratio of 0.05.

Guild Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a special dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GHLD. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Guild from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their target price for the company from $16.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Citizens Jmp lowered Guild from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 19th. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Guild in a research note on Friday, June 20th. BTIG Research restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Guild in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Compass Point lowered Guild from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their target price for the company from $19.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $18.42.

Guild Profile

Guild Holdings Company originates, sells, and services residential mortgage loans in the United States. It operates in two segments, Origination and Servicing. The company offers residential mortgages through retail and correspondent channels. Guild Holdings Company was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.