Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $14.43, but opened at $13.45. Guild shares last traded at $13.70, with a volume of 12,824 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GHLD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Guild from $11.50 to $12.50 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Compass Point lifted their price objective on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Guild currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.60.

Guild Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $832.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $12.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.01.

Guild Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Guild’s payout ratio is currently 64.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guild

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GHLD. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its position in Guild by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 344,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,864,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Guild by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 1,709 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Guild by 2.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Guild by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 2,421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Guild by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 6,134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 17.52% of the company’s stock.

Guild Company Profile

Guild Holdings Company originates, sells, and services residential mortgage loans in the United States. It operates in two segments, Origination and Servicing. The company offers residential mortgages through retail and correspondent channels. Guild Holdings Company was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.