Short Interest in Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Increases By 119.6%

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,200 shares, an increase of 119.6% from the April 30th total of 5,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 13,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.9 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company's shares are sold short.

Guild Stock Performance

GHLD traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $13.50. 1,571 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,808. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $13.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Guild has a 1-year low of $11.21 and a 1-year high of $18.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $839.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.81.

Guild Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.81%. Guild's dividend payout ratio is currently 144.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on GHLD shares. Citigroup reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Guild in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Guild from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $12.50 to $12.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Guild to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, JMP Securities set a $15.50 price objective on Guild and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Guild has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $16.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guild

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Guild by 419.9% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,768,000 after buying an additional 101,209 shares during the period. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. grew its position in shares of Guild by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 344,742 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,864,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in Guild by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 628,650 shares of the company's stock worth $8,870,000 after buying an additional 31,540 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Guild by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 1,709 shares during the period. Finally, Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. raised its position in Guild by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 674,805 shares of the company's stock worth $9,521,000 after buying an additional 20,848 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 17.52% of the company's stock.

Guild Company Profile

Guild Holdings Company originates, sells, and services residential mortgage loans in the United States. It operates in two segments, Origination and Servicing. The company offers residential mortgages through retail and correspondent channels. Guild Holdings Company was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.