Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $33.01 and traded as high as $34.58. Hilltop shares last traded at $34.4290, with a volume of 184,327 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HTH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Hilltop from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Hilltop Trading Down 0.3%

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.72 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s fifty day moving average is $34.06 and its 200 day moving average is $33.01.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $330.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $309.68 million. Hilltop had a net margin of 9.86% and a return on equity of 7.18%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Hilltop’s payout ratio is presently 28.69%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $77,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 8,692 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $304,220. This represents a 20.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 29.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Hilltop during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 584.7% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 141.8% during the second 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 period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Hilltop by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.