Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $28.44 and last traded at $28.70, with a volume of 14699 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.71.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HTH shares. Raymond James downgraded shares of Hilltop from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Hilltop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hilltop presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Hilltop Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $31.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.53. The stock has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.88 and a beta of 1.13.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $411.49 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $302.29 million. Hilltop had a net margin of 6.65% and a return on equity of 4.90%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilltop

In related news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $80,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $291,968. This trade represents a 21.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 30,851 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.61, for a total transaction of $1,006,051.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,535,362.28. The trade was a 28.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 29.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilltop during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Hilltop in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $69,000. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 36.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Hilltop in the 3rd quarter valued at $185,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Company Profile

Hilltop Holdings Inc provides business and consumer banking services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Broker-Dealer, and Mortgage Origination. The Banking segment offers savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; lines and letters of credit, home improvement and equity loans, loans for purchasing and carrying securities, term, agricultural and commercial real estate, equipment loans, and other lending products; and mortgage, commercial and industrial loans, and term and construction finance.