Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Trading 5.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD)’s stock price traded up 5.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $13.96 and last traded at $13.96. 7,374 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 11,793 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Guild Trading Up 5.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $866.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $12.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a current ratio of 0.06.

Guild Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.30%. Guild’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guild

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Guild by 18.6% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 2,421 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Guild by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 6,134 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Guild by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 1,709 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Guild by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,634,000 after acquiring an additional 1,901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Guild by 419.9% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,768,000 after buying an additional 101,209 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 17.52% of the company’s stock.

Guild Company Profile

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.