Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Buys 49,859 Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. $HTH

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans significantly increased its Hilltop Holdings stake, buying 49,859 more shares in the fourth quarter and lifting its position by 156.7% to 81,675 shares worth about $2.77 million.
• Hilltop reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, posting $0.64 EPS versus the $0.54 consensus estimate, though revenue of $300.51 million came in slightly below forecasts.
• The company maintained a shareholder-friendly dividend, paying a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, which annualizes to $0.80 and yields about 2.1%.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH - Free Report) by 156.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 49,859 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.13% of Hilltop worth $2,772,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hilltop in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hilltop by 584.7% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Hilltop by 37.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Hilltop in the third quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Hilltop by 42.7% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company's stock.

Hilltop Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of Hilltop stock opened at $37.23 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 0.89. Hilltop Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.92 and a 12 month high of $40.41. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $36.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.05.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $300.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $304.87 million. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.32% and a net margin of 10.13%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilltop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Hilltop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on HTH shares. Zacks Research upgraded Hilltop from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Hilltop from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Hilltop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $37.50.

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In other news, Director Rhodes R. Bobbitt sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.25, for a total value of $372,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 117,016 shares in the company, valued at $4,358,846. This trade represents a 7.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Gerald J. Ford sold 259,771 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.98, for a total value of $9,866,102.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $298,788.66. This trade represents a 97.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 271,771 shares of company stock valued at $10,314,603 over the last quarter. 29.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Hilltop

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.

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