KBC Group NV Acquires 1,023 Shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH)

KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) by 64.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,023 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Hilltop were worth $75,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of HTH. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Hilltop by 4.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,568,227 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $82,594,000 after purchasing an additional 107,348 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hilltop by 1.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,056,739 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,991,000 after acquiring an additional 17,477 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Hilltop by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 794,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,537,000 after buying an additional 19,936 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Hilltop by 90.5% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 592,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,043,000 after buying an additional 281,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 187.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 511,286 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,443,000 after acquiring an additional 333,695 shares during the last quarter. 57.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $291,968. This represents a 21.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 29.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HTH shares. Raymond James downgraded shares of Hilltop from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Hilltop from $35.00 to $34.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hilltop presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $34.00.

Hilltop Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HTH opened at $32.13 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47 and a beta of 1.14. Hilltop Holdings Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.67 and a 1-year high of $35.32. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $29.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $31.07.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.27. Hilltop had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 5.18%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This is a positive change from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 13th. Hilltop’s payout ratio is currently 41.38%.

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.