Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Hilltop shares moved above their 200-day moving average, trading as high as $38.49 and last changing hands near $38.30, slightly up on the day. The stock’s 200-day average was $37.08.
• Recent earnings and dividends were solid: Hilltop reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating estimates, and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share, implying a 2.1% annual yield.
• Sentiment is mixed among analysts and insiders, with rating changes in both directions and recent insider selling. Meanwhile, institutional ownership remains high at 57.13% of the stock.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $37.08 and traded as high as $38.49. Hilltop shares last traded at $38.2960, with a volume of 226,026 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on HTH. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hilltop from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hilltop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Hilltop from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Up 0.3%

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $37.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.08. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 0.88.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.10. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.32% and a net margin of 10.13%.The firm had revenue of $300.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $304.87 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilltop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. Hilltop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilltop

In other news, Director Rhodes R. Bobbitt sold 10,000 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total value of $380,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 87,016 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,306,608. The trade was a 10.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total transaction of $76,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,656. This trade represents a 20.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 32,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,206,000 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTH. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 3,192 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 623.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 79,654 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,425,000 after buying an additional 68,648 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 5.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,846 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $848,000 after buying an additional 1,362 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 236.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 461,206 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,044,000 after buying an additional 324,108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hilltop by 32.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 796,277 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $24,247,000 after acquiring an additional 192,991 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company's stock.

Hilltop Company Profile

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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