Empowered Funds LLC Acquires 9,648 Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH)

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 189,856 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,648 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.29% of Hilltop worth $6,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HTH. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilltop during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hilltop during the second quarter valued at about $69,000. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hilltop during the 3rd quarter worth about $203,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Hilltop by 91.1% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 8,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 3,902 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Hilltop by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 9,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Stock Performance

Shares of HTH stock opened at $31.98 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62 and a beta of 1.14. Hilltop Holdings Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.58 and a 52-week high of $35.66. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.50.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.09. Hilltop had a return on equity of 4.90% and a net margin of 6.65%. The business had revenue of $411.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $302.29 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.57 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Hilltop’s payout ratio is 41.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HTH shares. StockNews.com raised Hilltop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Hilltop from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Hilltop from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.50.

Insider Activity

In other Hilltop news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 30,851 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.61, for a total value of $1,006,051.11. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 77,748 shares in the company, valued at $2,535,362.28. The trade was a 28.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Hill A. Feinberg sold 17,157 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.99, for a total value of $566,009.43. Following the transaction, the director now owns 544,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,978,857.21. The trade was a 3.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 29.30% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Company Profile

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.