Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Shares Gap Down – Here’s Why

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) gapped down prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $14.43, but opened at $13.45. Guild shares last traded at $13.70, with a volume of 12,824 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Compass Point raised their price target on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Guild from $11.50 to $12.50 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.60.

Guild Stock Up 1.6 %

The company has a market cap of $832.61 million, a P/E ratio of -8.68, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $12.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06.

Guild Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.87%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Guild’s payout ratio is presently 64.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GHLD. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Guild by 419.9% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,768,000 after acquiring an additional 101,209 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Guild by 2.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares in the last quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. raised its position in Guild by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 653,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,875,000 after purchasing an additional 69,603 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Guild by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 2,421 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Guild by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 6,134 shares during the last quarter. 17.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Guild

Guild Holdings Company originates, sells, and services residential mortgage loans in the United States. It operates in two segments, Origination and Servicing. The company offers residential mortgages through retail and correspondent channels. Guild Holdings Company was incorporated in 1960 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.