Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD)’s share price gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $13.51, but opened at $13.05. Guild shares last traded at $13.59, with a volume of 1,205 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Guild Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $814.42 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.49, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.16. 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 15.20%. Guild’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guild

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. raised its holdings in Guild by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 344,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,864,000 after buying an additional 1,535 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Guild by 8.3% during 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 raised its stake 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 valued at $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 6,134 shares during the period. 17.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.