Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Stock Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $37.77 and traded as high as $39.06. Hilltop shares last traded at $38.9430, with a volume of 344,809 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HTH. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hilltop from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $42.00 price objective on shares of Hilltop in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Hilltop from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilltop has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $40.00.

Hilltop Price Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $38.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.77. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.30 and a beta of 0.88.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.14. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.40% and a net margin of 10.17%.The company had revenue of $315.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $306.18 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This is a positive change from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilltop

In other news, Director Rhodes Bobbitt sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.12, for a total value of $802,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 56,096 shares in the company, valued at $2,250,571.52. This trade represents a 26.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 52,555 shares of company stock worth $2,087,714. Corporate insiders own 5.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hilltop in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Hilltop by 37.3% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hilltop by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Hilltop by 276.4% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the second quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hilltop Company Profile

Hilltop Holdings Inc is a Dallas-based financial services holding company that provides banking, mortgage lending and securities services through its operating subsidiaries. Its businesses serve individuals, businesses, financial institutions, government entities and other organizations.

PlainsCapital Bank, Hilltop’s banking subsidiary, offers commercial and consumer banking products, including loans, deposit accounts, treasury management and wealth management services. The bank primarily serves customers in Texas through its branch network and related financial services operations.

Hilltop’s other principal businesses include PrimeLending, a residential mortgage lender that originates and services home loans through a nationwide platform, and HilltopSecurities, a broker-dealer that provides investment banking, public finance, institutional brokerage, fixed-income trading and advisory services.