Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $34.98 and traded as high as $35.98. Hilltop shares last traded at $35.4910, with a volume of 485,112 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HTH shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hilltop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hilltop from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilltop presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $37.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.98. The company has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 0.92.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $217.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.15 million. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a positive change from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Hilltop’s payout ratio is 30.19%.

Insider Activity

In other Hilltop news, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total value of $359,556.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,817 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total transaction of $999,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,531,860.26. This trade represents a 28.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 294,796 shares of company stock worth $11,225,619 in the last quarter. 29.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hilltop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hilltop by 584.7% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Hilltop by 37.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 42.7% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.