Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 958,000 shares, a drop of 8.8% from the January 15th total of 1,050,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 353,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hilltop Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of HTH stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $31.61. 433,204 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 409,868. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.17 and a beta of 1.14. Hilltop has a 12-month low of $26.67 and a 12-month high of $35.32. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $29.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.01.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.27. Hilltop had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 5.18%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 13th. This is a boost from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.38%.

Insider Transactions at Hilltop

In other news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $80,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,124 shares in the company, valued at $291,968. This trade represents a 21.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 29.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilltop

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HTH. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hilltop by 85.4% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 797,987 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,846,000 after purchasing an additional 367,564 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 187.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 511,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,443,000 after acquiring an additional 333,695 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 419.7% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 383,692 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $12,340,000 after acquiring an additional 309,858 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 90.5% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 592,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,043,000 after acquiring an additional 281,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 116.0% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 322,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,236,000 after acquiring an additional 173,245 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James downgraded shares of Hilltop from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Hilltop from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

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.