Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Sell”

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Stephens upped their target price on Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

NYSE HTH opened at $38.75 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $36.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.51. Hilltop has a fifty-two week low of $27.35 and a fifty-two week high of $40.41. The company has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.62 and a beta of 0.94.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.23. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.The company had revenue of $217.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.15 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.19%.

Insider Transactions at Hilltop

In other Hilltop news, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total transaction of $359,556.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,817 shares in the company, valued at $3,657,989.28. This represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total transaction of $999,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,831 shares in the company, valued at $2,531,860.26. This trade represents a 28.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 37,225 shares of company stock valued at $1,436,516. 29.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HTH. Lexington Hill Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Hilltop during the fourth quarter worth $354,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the 4th quarter worth $304,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 97,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,309,000 after purchasing an additional 4,924 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Hilltop by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 250,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,493,000 after purchasing an additional 12,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Hilltop in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,660,000. 57.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Hilltop

Here are the key news stories impacting Hilltop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised several near‑term and multi‑year forecasts (Q1 2026, Q2 2026, Q2 2027 and full‑year FY2026, FY2027 and FY2028), pushing FY2027 to $2.25 and FY2028 to $2.45 per share — a meaningful upgrade to longer‑term earnings power that can justify higher valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks materially increased its Q1 2027 estimate (from $0.39 to $0.53), signaling better expected performance early in FY2027 and helping offset some quarter‑by‑quarter volatility.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage includes a Zacks feature piece framing HTH as potentially undervalued based on estimate momentum and value/growth metrics, which may attract value‑seeking investors. Are Investors Undervaluing Hilltop Holdings (HTH) Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed a few quarter estimates: Q4 2026 was cut slightly (from $0.57 to $0.55) and Q4 2027 was reduced (from $0.68 to $0.61), which could signal some near‑term variability in revenue or margins and keep downward pressure on short‑term sentiment.

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.