Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 10,200 shares, a decline of 17.1% from the March 15th total of 12,300 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 11,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.9 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on GHLD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Guild from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $12.50 to $12.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Compass Point upped their price target on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Guild has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.50.

Institutional Trading of Guild

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Millennium Management LLC boosted 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 in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Guild by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 6,134 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Guild by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 1,709 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Guild by 2.0% during the third 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 stake in shares of Guild by 419.9% in 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 period. Institutional investors own 17.52% of the company’s stock.

Guild Stock Down 2.7 %

Guild stock traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $12.55. The stock had a trading volume of 4,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,886. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.65. 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 has a 1-year low of $11.21 and a 1-year high of $18.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $776.90 million, a P/E ratio of -8.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.79.

Guild Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.94%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Guild’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.94%.

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.