Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Hilltop a consensus "Hold" rating from five brokers (four hold, one buy) with an average 1‑year target of $37.50, and several firms recently adjusted ratings or price targets (e.g., Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its target to $39).
• Quarterly results showed an EPS beat of $0.69 versus $0.46 expected but a revenue shortfall ($217.4M reported vs. $300.15M expected); the stock opened at $35.52 and trades in a 52‑week range of $27.35–$40.41.
• Hilltop raised its quarterly dividend to $0.20 ($0.80 annualized, ~2.3% yield), while insiders have sold roughly 294,796 shares (~$11.2M) in the past 90 days, including large disposals by major shareholder Gerald J. Ford and the CEO.

Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.50.

Several brokerages recently commented on HTH. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hilltop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hilltop from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Hilltop in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Hilltop Stock Performance

Shares of HTH opened at $35.52 on Thursday. Hilltop has a 52-week low of $27.35 and a 52-week high of $40.41. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $37.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 0.92.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.23. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.The firm had revenue of $217.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $300.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Hilltop will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Hilltop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Hilltop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilltop

In related news, major shareholder Gerald J. Ford sold 259,771 shares of the company'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 transaction, the insider directly owned 7,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $298,788.66. This represents a 97.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total transaction of $999,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,831 shares in the company, valued at $2,531,860.26. This represents a 28.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 294,796 shares of company stock valued at $11,225,619 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 29.90% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the 4th 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 valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Hilltop by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Hilltop during the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Hilltop by 42.7% during 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.13% of the company's stock.

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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