Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Short Interest Update

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

Hilltop Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:HTH opened at $31.61 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $29.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.01. Hilltop has a twelve month low of $26.67 and a twelve month high of $35.32. The stock has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.17 and a beta of 1.14.

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

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. This is a boost from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 13th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.38%.

Insider Activity at Hilltop

In related news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,500 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $291,968. This represents a 21.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 29.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 26.0% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 110,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,151,000 after buying an additional 22,695 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Hilltop by 42.8% in the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 206,527 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,913,000 after purchasing an additional 61,932 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in Hilltop in the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its stake in Hilltop by 215.4% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 88,743 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,541,000 after purchasing an additional 60,609 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its stake in Hilltop by 23.8% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 104,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,980,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the period. 57.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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