Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) saw an uptick in trading volume on Thursday . 100,250 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 705% from the previous session’s volume of 12,449 shares.The stock last traded at $14.16 and had previously closed at $14.49.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Guild Stock Down 1.4 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $883.99 million, a P/E ratio of -9.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $13.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.96.

Guild Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.01%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Guild’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.94%.

Institutional Trading of Guild

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GHLD. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of Guild by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 2,421 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Guild by 57.5% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of 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. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Guild by 419.9% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 101,209 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.