Short Interest in Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) Grows By 26.6%

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 1,521,440 shares, a growth of 26.6% from the January 29th total of 1,202,099 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 520,272 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 520,272 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Hilltop Stock Up 2.4%

HTH opened at $38.32 on Tuesday. Hilltop has a 52 week low of $27.35 and a 52 week high of $40.41. The stock has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of $36.74 and a 200-day moving average of $34.82.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.23. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.47% and a net margin of 10.19%.The business had revenue of $217.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Hilltop will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Hilltop’s payout ratio is presently 30.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilltop

In other Hilltop news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.46, for a total value of $999,960.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,831 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,531,860.26. The trade was a 28.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total transaction of $359,556.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,657,989.28. This trade represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 29.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hilltop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Hilltop by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Hilltop by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 15,919 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $540,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Hilltop by 37.3% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 37,559 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hilltop by 42.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on HTH. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.50.

About Hilltop

Hilltop Holdings, Inc (NYSE: HTH) is a Dallas, Texas–based financial holding company offering commercial banking, mortgage lending and capital markets services through its three primary subsidiaries: PlainsCapital Corporation, PrimeLending and HilltopSecurities. PlainsCapital provides deposit, lending and treasury management solutions to small and mid-sized businesses, professionals and individuals. PrimeLending specializes in home purchase and refinance loans, serving retail, wholesale and correspondent channels.