Zacks Research Downgrades Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) to Hold

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

HTH has been the subject of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of HTH stock opened at $37.07 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of $36.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.89. Hilltop has a 52 week low of $27.35 and a 52 week high of $40.41.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.23. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.The business had revenue of $217.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. Analysts expect that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 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 owned 91,817 shares in the company, valued at $3,657,989.28. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, 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. Company insiders own 29.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HTH. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in 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 valued at about $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilltop by 584.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Hilltop by 37.3% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $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 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

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.