Zacks Research Downgrades Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) to Hold

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

HTH has been the topic of several other research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

Hilltop stock traded down $0.80 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $36.22. 55,450 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 373,890. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.67 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s 50-day moving average is $36.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.89. Hilltop has a 12 month low of $27.35 and a 12 month high of $40.41.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last announced 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. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.The business had revenue of $217.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Hilltop will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Hilltop

In other news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total transaction of $999,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,531,860.26. The trade was a 28.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 29.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTH. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Hilltop by 236.4% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 461,206 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,044,000 after buying an additional 324,108 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Hilltop by 364.0% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 360,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,943,000 after acquiring an additional 282,852 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Hilltop by 106.9% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 493,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,503,000 after acquiring an additional 255,141 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the third quarter worth $8,337,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its position in Hilltop by 37.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 711,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,788,000 after acquiring an additional 194,287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

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.