Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $34.00.

HTH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Hilltop from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th.

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In related news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $304,220. This represents a 20.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 29.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 236.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 461,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,044,000 after acquiring an additional 324,108 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Hilltop by 364.0% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 360,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,943,000 after purchasing an additional 282,852 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in Hilltop by 106.9% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 493,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,503,000 after purchasing an additional 255,141 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Hilltop during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $8,337,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hilltop by 37.5% in 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 buying an additional 194,287 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Stock Performance

HTH stock opened at $34.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a PE ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 0.91. Hilltop has a one year low of $26.67 and a one year high of $36.13. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $34.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.06.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.25. The company 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.69%.

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.