Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Lowers Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Price Target to $34.00

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) had its price objective cut by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $35.00 to $34.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a market perform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on HTH. Raymond James lowered shares of Hilltop from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Hilltop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Hilltop Stock Performance

NYSE:HTH opened at $32.27 on Monday. Hilltop has a one year low of $26.67 and a one year high of $35.32. The stock has a market cap of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $29.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.12.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.27. Hilltop had a return on equity of 5.18% and a net margin of 7.04%. As a group, analysts predict that Hilltop will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.38%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $80,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $291,968. The trade was a 21.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 29.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hilltop during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Hilltop during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Hilltop by 64.0% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 1,023 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilltop by 36.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares in the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hilltop

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.