Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Chairman Jonathan S. Sobel Acquires 10,000 Shares

Key Points

• Chairman Jonathan S. Sobel of Hilltop Holdings purchased 10,000 shares at an average price of $31.97, increasing his ownership stake by 21.08% to a total of 57,429 shares.
• The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, but revenue fell short of analyst forecasts at $303.31 million.
• Hilltop announced a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, representing a dividend yield of 2.2% and a payout ratio of 32.29%.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) Chairman Jonathan S. Sobel acquired 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $31.97 per share, for a total transaction of $319,700.00. Following the acquisition, the chairman directly owned 67,429 shares in the company, valued at $2,155,705.13. This represents a 17.41% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Hilltop Stock Up 4.5%

HTH traded up $1.4870 during trading on Friday, reaching $34.6970. 600,897 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 461,035. The company's 50-day moving average is $30.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.50. The company has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56 and a beta of 0.87. Hilltop Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.67 and a 12-month high of $34.83.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $303.31 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $310.18 million. Hilltop had a return on equity of 6.46% and a net margin of 8.90%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.31 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilltop Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Hilltop's dividend payout ratio is 32.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Hilltop from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Hilltop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Hilltop presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $32.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTH. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in Hilltop by 27.6% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 27,427 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $785,000 after acquiring an additional 5,933 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Hilltop by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 318,216 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,111,000 after purchasing an additional 26,728 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Hilltop by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 134,649 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,855,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Hilltop by 31.1% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 33,682 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $964,000 after purchasing an additional 7,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilltop during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,978,000. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hilltop Company Profile

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.