Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) from a strong sell rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on HTH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hilltop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of HTH opened at $37.76 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $36.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.62. Hilltop has a 12-month low of $28.92 and a 12-month high of $40.41. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.30 and a beta of 0.89.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $300.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $304.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Hilltop will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilltop Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In other Hilltop news, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total transaction of $359,556.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 91,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,657,989.28. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Gerald J. Ford sold 259,771 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.98, for a total transaction of $9,866,102.58. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,788.66. This represents a 97.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 29.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilltop

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hilltop in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 584.7% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Hilltop by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hilltop

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.