Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Short Interest Update

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 10,200 shares, a decline of 17.1% from the March 15th total of 12,300 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 11,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guild

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings 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. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Guild by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 6,134 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Guild by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 1,709 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Guild by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,244 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Guild by 419.9% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company's stock worth $1,768,000 after buying an additional 101,209 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 17.52% of the company's stock.

Guild Stock Performance

Shares of Guild stock traded up $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $13.11. 178 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,638. The stock has a market cap of $811.31 million, a PE ratio of -8.46, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.79. The stock's fifty day moving average is $13.35 and its 200 day moving average is $13.60. Guild has a 12 month low of $11.21 and a 12 month high of $18.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a current ratio of 0.06.

Guild Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Guild's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GHLD. Compass Point lifted their price target on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Guild from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $12.50 to $12.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Guild presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.50.

About Guild

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.