Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Guild Holdings Company (NYSE:GHLD - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $15.72, but opened at $19.86. Guild shares last traded at $19.77, with a volume of 127,375 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on GHLD. JMP Securities set a $15.50 price objective on Guild and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Guild in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Compass Point reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $20.00 price target (up from $19.00) on shares of Guild in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Guild from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $12.50 to $12.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Guild to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Guild currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $16.50.

Guild Stock Up 25.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a current ratio of 0.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.59, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.81.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guild

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GHLD. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 101,209 shares during the last quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its holdings in Guild by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 344,742 shares of the company's stock worth $4,864,000 after purchasing an additional 1,535 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its holdings in Guild by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 628,650 shares of the company's stock worth $8,870,000 after purchasing an additional 31,540 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Guild by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 1,709 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of Guild by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 674,805 shares of the company's stock worth $9,521,000 after acquiring an additional 20,848 shares during the last quarter. 17.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.