Brokerages Set Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) PT at $37.50

Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $37.50.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HTH shares. Stephens boosted 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 reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total transaction of $999,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 65,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,531,860.26. This represents a 28.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 91,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,657,989.28. The trade was a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 37,225 shares of company stock worth $1,436,516 over the last quarter. 29.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HTH. Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilltop during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilltop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilltop by 584.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 37.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the third quarter worth $43,000. 57.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilltop Trading Down 0.8%

Hilltop stock opened at $39.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.70 and a 200-day moving average of $34.03. Hilltop has a 1 year low of $27.35 and a 1 year high of $40.41.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last released 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. Hilltop had a net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 7.47%. The business had revenue of $217.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Hilltop’s payout ratio is presently 27.17%.

Hilltop Company Profile

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.