Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Stock

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) had its target price upped by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $34.00 to $35.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “market perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.07% from the stock’s current price.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Hilltop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

NYSE:HTH traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $31.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 30,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,234. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 1.13. Hilltop has a 1 year low of $28.58 and a 1 year high of $35.66.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.09. Hilltop had a net margin of 6.65% and a return on equity of 4.90%. The company had revenue of $411.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.57 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Hilltop will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $80,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $291,968. This represents a 21.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 30,851 shares of Hilltop stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.61, for a total transaction of $1,006,051.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 77,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,535,362.28. This trade represents a 28.41 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 29.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Hilltop by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 38,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,635 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Hilltop by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 56,735 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,775,000 after purchasing an additional 5,918 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Hilltop by 69.0% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $433,000 after acquiring an additional 5,645 shares in the last quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 23,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $729,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% 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.