Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Stock Position in Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its position in shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) by 4.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,661 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Hilltop were worth $1,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Hilltop by 43.2% during the second quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 116,099 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,632,000 after acquiring an additional 35,017 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in Hilltop by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 56,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,758,000 after purchasing an additional 6,921 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hilltop during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,408,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in Hilltop by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 29,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $938,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hilltop by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 2,545 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Price Performance

Shares of HTH opened at $31.28 on Friday. Hilltop Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $26.78 and a 12-month high of $35.66. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $31.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29 and a beta of 1.13.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by $0.05. Hilltop had a net margin of 7.10% and a return on equity of 5.30%. The company had revenue of $297.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $283.22 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on HTH shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Hilltop from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on Hilltop from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Insider Transactions at Hilltop

In related news, Director Hill A. Feinberg sold 17,157 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.99, for a total transaction of $566,009.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 544,979 shares in the company, valued at $17,978,857.21. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 28.90% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Company Profile

Hilltop Holdings Inc provides business and consumer banking services. It operates through three segments: Banking, Broker-Dealer, and Mortgage Origination. The Banking segment offers savings, checking, interest-bearing checking, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; lines and letters of credit, home improvement and equity loans, loans for purchasing and carrying securities, term, agricultural and commercial real estate, equipment loans, and other lending products; and mortgage, commercial and industrial loans, and term and construction finance.