Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Trading Up 3.9% – Time to Buy?

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) was up 3.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $15.24 and last traded at $15.05. Approximately 118,085 shares were traded 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 boosted their price objective on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.60.

Guild Stock Performance

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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $13.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $934.75 million, a PE ratio of -9.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98.

Guild Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 13.25%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Guild’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.94%.

Institutional Trading of Guild

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GHLD. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,421 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Guild by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 6,134 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Guild by 8.3% during 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. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 101,209 shares in the last quarter. 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.