Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Upgraded by Zacks Research to "Strong-Buy" Rating

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

HTH has been the subject of a number of other reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hilltop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Hilltop in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

NYSE:HTH opened at $37.76 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $36.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.21 billion, a PE ratio of 14.30 and a beta of 0.89. Hilltop has a fifty-two week low of $28.92 and a fifty-two week high of $40.41.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $300.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $304.87 million. Hilltop had a net margin of 10.13% and a return on equity of 7.32%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Hilltop will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilltop

In other Hilltop news, major shareholder Gerald J. Ford sold 259,771 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.98, for a total transaction of $9,866,102.58. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,867 shares of the company's stock, valued at $298,788.66. The trade was a 97.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total transaction of $359,556.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,657,989.28. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 29.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 870,474 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,302 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 32.0% during the 1st 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. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 762,326 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,477,000 after acquiring an additional 27,203 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 711,802 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $23,788,000 after acquiring an additional 194,287 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 647,003 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $21,623,000 after acquiring an additional 192,439 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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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