Short Interest in Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Decreases By 21.7%

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 11,200 shares, a decline of 21.7% from the February 13th total of 14,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 8,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.3 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Guild Price Performance

Shares of Guild stock traded up $0.25 on Monday, reaching $12.91. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,168 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,599. The company has a market capitalization of $798.87 million, a P/E ratio of -8.33, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. Guild has a 52-week low of $11.21 and a 52-week high of $18.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $12.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Guild Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 15.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Guild’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Institutional Trading of Guild

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Guild by 419.9% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 101,209 shares in the last quarter. Bayview Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Guild by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Bayview Asset Management LLC now owns 1,595,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,517,000 after purchasing an additional 95,327 shares in the last quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Guild by 11.9% during the third quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 653,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,875,000 after purchasing an additional 69,603 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Guild by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 628,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,870,000 after purchasing an additional 31,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Guild by 5.3% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 269,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,488,000 after purchasing an additional 13,668 shares in the last quarter. 17.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.