Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Shares Down 1.3% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) traded down 1.3% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $13.27 and last traded at $13.38. 4,939 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 12,559 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.55.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GHLD shares. Compass Point upped their price target on Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Guild from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $12.50 to $12.00 in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $16.50.

Guild Stock Down 1.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $800.11 million, a P/E ratio of -8.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.06 and a quick ratio of 0.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $13.26 and a 200 day moving average of $13.78.

Guild Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 15.47%. Guild’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.94%.

Institutional Trading of Guild

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Guild by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 2,421 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Guild by 8.3% in 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Guild by 2.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,634,000 after buying an additional 1,901 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised 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 valued at $1,768,000 after buying an additional 101,209 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 17.52% of the company’s stock.

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.