Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $36.60 and traded as high as $38.06. Hilltop shares last traded at $37.7470, with a volume of 993,464 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Hilltop from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Hilltop from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.30 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $37.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.60.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.10. Hilltop had a net margin of 10.13% and a return on equity of 7.32%. The business had revenue of $300.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $304.87 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.65 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilltop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.30%.

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In other news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,000 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total transaction of $76,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $300,656. The trade was a 20.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rhodes R. Bobbitt sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total value of $380,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 87,016 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,306,608. This trade represents a 10.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 32,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,206,000 over the last quarter. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,818 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 3,192 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hilltop by 623.7% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 79,654 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,425,000 after buying an additional 68,648 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Hilltop by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,846 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $848,000 after acquiring an additional 1,362 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Hilltop by 236.4% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 461,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,044,000 after acquiring an additional 324,108 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Hilltop by 32.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 796,277 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,247,000 after acquiring an additional 192,991 shares during the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.