Zacks Research Weighs in on Hilltop’s Q4 Earnings (NYSE:HTH)

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2026 earnings estimates for Hilltop in a research report issued on Thursday, February 19th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will earn $0.55 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.57. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Hilltop’s current full-year earnings is $1.51 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hilltop’s Q1 2027 earnings at $0.53 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.61 EPS.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS.

HTH has been the topic of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Hilltop in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Hilltop from $34.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Price Performance

Hilltop stock opened at $37.85 on Monday. Hilltop has a one year low of $27.35 and a one year high of $40.41. The business’s fifty day moving average is $36.46 and its 200 day moving average is $34.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.25 billion, a PE ratio of 14.28 and a beta of 0.94.

Hilltop Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. This is a boost from Hilltop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.19%.

Insider Transactions at Hilltop

In other news, CEO Martin Bradley Winges sold 26,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,531,860.26. This trade represents a 28.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steve B. Thompson sold 9,025 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.84, for a total transaction of $359,556.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 91,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,657,989.28. This represents a 8.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 29.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hilltop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Hilltop during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hilltop in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 584.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Hilltop by 37.3% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Institutional investors own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

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.