Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Trading Up 3.9% – What’s Next?

Shares of Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) rose 3.9% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $15.24 and last traded at $15.05. Approximately 118,085 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 844% from the average daily volume of 12,505 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.49.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Guild Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $13.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $931.35 million, a PE ratio of -9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Guild Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.29%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Guild’s payout ratio is 64.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in Guild by 18.6% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Guild by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 6,134 shares during the period. Bayview Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Guild by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Bayview Asset Management LLC now owns 1,595,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,517,000 after buying an additional 95,327 shares in the last quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Guild by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 674,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,521,000 after buying an additional 20,848 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Guild by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 1,709 shares in the last quarter. 17.52% of the stock is currently 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.