Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,200 shares, a drop of 58.8% from the March 31st total of 10,200 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 10,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.4 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Guild by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 2,421 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 6,134 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,709 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Guild by 2.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,244 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,634,000 after buying an additional 1,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Guild by 419.9% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,768,000 after buying an additional 101,209 shares in the last quarter. 17.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GHLD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Compass Point upped their target price on Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Guild from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $12.50 to $12.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $16.50.

Guild Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GHLD traded up $0.13 on Friday, reaching $13.19. 450 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,770. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $816.51 million, a PE ratio of -8.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.79. The company's 50 day moving average is $13.42 and its 200-day moving average is $13.50. Guild has a fifty-two week low of $11.21 and a fifty-two week high of $18.26.

Guild Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.16%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Guild's dividend payout ratio is presently 64.94%.

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.