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

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

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hilltop from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HTH opened at $35.91 on Friday. Hilltop has a fifty-two week low of $27.35 and a fifty-two week high of $40.41. The stock has a market cap of $2.13 billion, a PE ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $37.11 and a 200-day moving average of $35.03.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $217.40 million for 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Hilltop’s payout ratio is 30.19%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,657,989.28. The trade was a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 transaction of $999,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 294,796 shares of company stock worth $11,225,619. 29.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HTH. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hilltop by 236.4% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 461,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,044,000 after buying an additional 324,108 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 364.0% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 360,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,943,000 after acquiring an additional 282,852 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Hilltop by 106.9% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 493,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,503,000 after acquiring an additional 255,141 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in Hilltop in the third quarter worth $8,337,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in Hilltop by 37.5% in the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 711,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,788,000 after acquiring an additional 194,287 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.