Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Trading Up 0.8%

HTH stock opened at $38.75 on Friday. Hilltop has a 1-year low of $27.35 and a 1-year high of $40.41. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.30 billion, a PE ratio of 14.62 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,531,860.26. This represents a 28.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total value of $359,556.00. Following 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 37,225 shares of company stock valued at $1,436,516 over the last 90 days. 29.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilltop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Hilltop during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilltop in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 584.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 918 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Hilltop by 37.3% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Hilltop in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors 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.