Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) shares gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $15.93, but opened at $16.26. Guild shares last traded at $15.80, with a volume of 3,155 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Compass Point raised their target price on Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Guild from $11.50 to $12.50 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One investment 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.60.

Guild Stock Down 0.7 %

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $12.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.97. The firm has a market cap of $979.32 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06.

Guild Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.64%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Guild’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GHLD. Bayview Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 95,327 shares in the last quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. lifted its holdings in shares of Guild by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 674,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,521,000 after buying an additional 20,848 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its stake in Guild by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 628,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,870,000 after buying an additional 31,540 shares in the last quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. grew its holdings in Guild by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 344,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,864,000 after acquiring an additional 1,535 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 17.52% of the company’s stock.

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.