Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Hits New 1-Year High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $38.50 and last traded at $37.8880, with a volume of 22335 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $36.80.

The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.23. Hilltop had a net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 7.45%. The firm had revenue of $217.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio is 28.69%.

Key Stories Impacting Hilltop

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilltop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Hilltop reported $0.69 EPS vs. consensus ~$0.46 and stronger profitability vs. year-ago, driven by higher net interest income and fee income; the quarter and commentary were presented as a solid results beat. Hilltop Holdings Inc. Announces Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.20 (11.1% hike), supporting income investors and signaling confidence in cash flow. HTH’s Q4 Earnings Beat on Higher NII & Fee Income, Dividend Hiked
• Positive Sentiment: New buyback — Company authorized a $125M share repurchase program, which should be supportive of EPS and return on equity over time. Hilltop Holdings (HTH) Valuation After Earnings Beat Dividend Hike And New Buyback Program
• Positive Sentiment: 2026 guidance — Management outlined 2026 loan growth targets of 4%–6% and expects net interest margin expansion, implying moderate balance‑sheet growth and improving margin-driven earnings. Hilltop Holdings outlines 2026 loan growth target of 4%–6% as net interest margin expands
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript available — Management commentary is posted (useful for investors wanting detail on capital deployment, credit and margin outlook). Hilltop Holdings Inc. (HTH) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Other corporate news unrelated to core banking ops (PropQwiz prize) — immaterial to fundamentals. PropQwiz Awards Life-Changing $350,000 Grand Prize to First Winner, a Las Vegas Mother
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue comparisons mixed — reported revenue (~$217.4M) was below one published consensus (~$300M), which could concern investors focused on top-line trends and raise questions about non‑interest revenue drivers despite the EPS beat. Hilltop issues earnings results

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.00.

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In other news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 8,692 shares in the company, valued at $304,220. This trade 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

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Hilltop by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,919 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $540,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Hilltop by 41.6% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,983 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 583 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 11,695 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in Hilltop by 4.3% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 18,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.58. The company has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 0.91.

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.