Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Friday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Raymond James Financial upgraded Hilltop from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Hilltop from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Hilltop Stock Performance

HTH traded down $0.12 on Friday, reaching $31.23. 353,986 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 366,952. Hilltop has a twelve month low of $26.67 and a twelve month high of $35.32. The company's 50 day moving average is $30.35 and its 200-day moving average is $30.08. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.85 and a beta of 0.87.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $318.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $290.68 million. Hilltop had a net margin of 7.87% and a return on equity of 5.79%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.42 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 8th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 8th. Hilltop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.55%.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Hilltop by 141.8% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 821 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hilltop by 827.3% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,493 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. SouthState Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $56,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Hilltop by 134.4% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,811 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $86,000 after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in Hilltop by 18.7% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,111 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.13% of the company's stock.

About Hilltop

Hilltop Holdings Inc provides business and consumer banking services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Broker-Dealer, and Mortgage Origination. The Banking segment offers savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; lines and letters of credit, home improvement and equity loans, loans for purchasing and carrying securities, term, agricultural and commercial real estate, equipment loans, and other lending products; and mortgage, commercial and industrial loans, and term and construction finance.