Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) saw a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,521,440 shares, a growth of 26.6% from the January 29th total of 1,202,099 shares. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 520,272 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days. Based on an average daily volume of 520,272 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Hilltop Stock Down 1.3%

Hilltop stock opened at $37.47 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.88. The stock has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14 and a beta of 0.92. Hilltop has a 12-month low of $27.35 and a 12-month high of $40.41.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $217.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.15 million. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This is an increase from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on HTH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. 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.com, Hilltop currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In related news, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total transaction of $359,556.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 91,817 shares in the company, valued at $3,657,989.28. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total value of $999,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,831 shares in the company, valued at $2,531,860.26. This trade represents a 28.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 29.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HTH. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 41.9% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,818 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 3,192 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilltop by 623.7% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 79,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 68,648 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Hilltop by 5.1% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 1,362 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Hilltop by 236.4% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 461,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,044,000 after purchasing an additional 324,108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in Hilltop by 32.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 796,277 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,247,000 after buying an additional 192,991 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.