Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $16.30.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GHLD. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Guild to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Guild from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $12.50 to $12.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, JMP Securities decreased their target price on shares of Guild from $16.50 to $15.50 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday.

Institutional Trading of Guild

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GHLD. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Guild by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company's stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 2,421 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its position in Guild by 57.5% in the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 6,134 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Guild by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 1,709 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Guild by 419.9% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company's stock worth $1,768,000 after acquiring an additional 101,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its position in Guild by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 344,742 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,864,000 after purchasing an additional 1,535 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 17.52% of the company's stock.

Guild Price Performance

GHLD stock traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $13.25. The stock had a trading volume of 51,408 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,560. Guild has a 52-week low of $11.21 and a 52-week high of $18.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $13.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.28. The company has a market cap of $824.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.81.

Guild Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 15.09%. Guild's payout ratio is 144.93%.

Guild Company 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.