Hilltop Holdings Inc. Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.20 (NYSE:HTH)

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, April 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of 0.20 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, May 22nd. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th.

Hilltop has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 8 consecutive years. Hilltop has a dividend payout ratio of 43.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Hilltop to earn $2.32 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 34.5%.

Hilltop Stock Performance

HTH stock opened at $38.03 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $36.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.38. Hilltop has a fifty-two week low of $28.43 and a fifty-two week high of $40.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.35 and a beta of 0.92.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $184.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $304.87 million. Hilltop had a net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 7.47%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.65 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Hilltop will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilltop news, major shareholder Gerald J. Ford sold 259,771 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.98, for a total value of $9,866,102.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,867 shares in the company, valued at $298,788.66. The trade was a 97.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 294,796 shares of company stock worth $11,225,619. 29.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilltop in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hilltop by 584.7% in 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 holdings in Hilltop by 37.3% in 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 during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Hilltop in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hilltop by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

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.