Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Reduces Stake in Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lessened its stake in shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 36,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,254 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Hilltop were worth $1,165,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HTH. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Hilltop by 5.4% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 189,856 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,106,000 after purchasing an additional 9,648 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 25,984 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $836,000 after buying an additional 1,218 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP raised its position in shares of Hilltop by 171.4% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 34,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,100,000 after buying an additional 21,600 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Hilltop by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 63,222 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,033,000 after buying an additional 6,487 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Hilltop by 5.9% in the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 13,794 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Price Performance

Shares of HTH opened at $31.65 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.55. The stock has a market cap of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.42 and a beta of 1.14. Hilltop Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.58 and a 1-year high of $35.66.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.09. Hilltop had a net margin of 6.65% and a return on equity of 4.90%. The firm had revenue of $411.49 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $302.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hilltop news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $80,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,124 shares in the company, valued at $291,968. The trade was a 21.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 30,851 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.61, for a total value of $1,006,051.11. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 77,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,535,362.28. The trade was a 28.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 29.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised Hilltop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat, Hilltop presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $34.50.

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.