Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $39.78 and last traded at $39.19, with a volume of 538273 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.61.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Stephens lifted their price target on Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Up 1.5%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $35.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.79 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Hilltop’s payout ratio is presently 27.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total value of $999,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,531,860.26. This trade represents a 28.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,200 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $77,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 8,692 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $304,220. This trade represents a 20.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 29.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Hilltop by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 870,474 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,419,000 after acquiring an additional 7,302 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 32.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 796,277 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,247,000 after purchasing an additional 192,991 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 3.7% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 762,326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,477,000 after purchasing an additional 27,203 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 37.5% during the third quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 711,802 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,788,000 after purchasing an additional 194,287 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its position in Hilltop by 42.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 647,003 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,623,000 after buying an additional 192,439 shares during the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is 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.