Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $15.93, but opened at $16.26. Guild shares last traded at $15.80, with a volume of 3,155 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Guild Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. The company’s 50-day moving average is $13.01 and its 200-day moving average is $13.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $948.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.88, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98.

Guild Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 13.06%. Guild’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GHLD. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 101,209 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 1,901 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Guild by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 2,421 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Guild by 57.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Guild by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 1,709 shares during the period. 17.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.