Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Short Interest Down 21.7% in February

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 11,200 shares, a decrease of 21.7% from the February 13th total of 14,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 8,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company's stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on GHLD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Guild from $11.50 to $12.50 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Compass Point boosted their price objective on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $16.60.

Guild Stock Performance

GHLD traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $13.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,626. Guild has a twelve month low of $11.21 and a twelve month high of $18.26. The stock has a market cap of $849.01 million, a P/E ratio of -8.85, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

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Guild Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Guild's payout ratio is currently 64.94%.

Institutional Trading of Guild

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Guild by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company's stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 2,421 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Guild by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 6,134 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Guild by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 1,709 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Guild by 2.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,244 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Guild by 419.9% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company's stock worth $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 101,209 shares during the period. 17.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Guild

Guild Holdings Company originates, sells, and services residential mortgage loans in the United States. It operates in two segments, Origination and Servicing. The company offers residential mortgages through retail and correspondent channels. Guild Holdings Company was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.