Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Sets New 52-Week Low - What's Next?

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $28.44 and last traded at $28.70, with a volume of 14699 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.71.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Hilltop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Raymond James cut Hilltop from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Hilltop from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $34.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.75 and a beta of 1.13. The business's 50 day moving average is $31.56 and its 200-day moving average is $31.55.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.09. Hilltop had a return on equity of 4.90% and a net margin of 6.65%. The company had revenue of $411.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.29 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Hilltop's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 30,851 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $2,535,362.28. This represents a 28.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $80,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $291,968. The trade was a 21.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 29.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HTH. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in Hilltop in the third quarter worth $29,000. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Hilltop in the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Hilltop during the 2nd quarter worth about $69,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 36.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,296 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 885 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hilltop during the 3rd quarter valued at about $185,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.13% of the company's stock.

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.