What is Zacks Research’s Estimate for Hilltop Q4 Earnings?

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Hilltop in a note issued to investors on Thursday, February 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings of $0.55 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.57. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hilltop’s current full-year earnings is $1.51 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hilltop’s Q1 2027 earnings at $0.53 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.61 EPS.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.23. Hilltop had a net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 7.47%. The business had revenue of $217.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.15 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.55 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on HTH. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stephens raised their target price on Hilltop from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

Shares of HTH stock opened at $37.62 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.19 and a beta of 0.94. Hilltop has a 52-week low of $27.35 and a 52-week high of $40.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $36.40 and a 200-day moving average of $34.59.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lexington Hill Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the fourth quarter worth about $354,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilltop during the 4th quarter valued at $304,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 97,482 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,309,000 after buying an additional 4,924 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Hilltop by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 250,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,493,000 after purchasing an additional 12,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Hilltop during the 4th quarter valued at $2,660,000. 57.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In related 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 value of $999,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,531,860.26. The trade was a 28.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of Hilltop 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 91,817 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,657,989.28. This represents a 8.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 29.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.19%.

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.