JMP Securities Boosts Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Price Target to $16.50

Guild (NYSE:GHLD) had its target price upped by JMP Securities from $14.00 to $16.50 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a market outperform rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on GHLD. Wedbush restated an outperform rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of Guild in a report on Friday, May 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Guild from a neutral rating to an underweight rating and set a $14.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Guild from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $16.10.

Guild Trading Down 4.9 %

NYSE:GHLD opened at $14.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.33. Guild has a fifty-two week low of $9.59 and a fifty-two week high of $17.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $907.22 million, a PE ratio of 35.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 1.04.

Guild (NYSE:GHLD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.11). Guild had a net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 4.25%. The company had revenue of $231.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $173.77 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.04) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Guild will post 1.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Guild Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 20th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 17th.

Insider Transactions at Guild

In other news, CFO Desiree Amber Kramer bought 1,636 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $16.12 per share, for a total transaction of $26,372.32. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 260,913 shares in the company, valued at $4,205,917.56. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Guild news, CFO Desiree Amber Kramer purchased 1,636 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $16.12 per share, with a total value of $26,372.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 260,913 shares in the company, valued at $4,205,917.56. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Terry Lynn Schmidt acquired 3,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.12 per share, with a total value of $58,515.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,798,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,113,528.72. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 13,370 shares of company stock worth $214,346 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 77.98% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guild

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Guild in the 3rd quarter valued at about $358,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in shares of Guild by 2.3% in the third quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,173,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,874,000 after purchasing an additional 26,510 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Guild by 8.2% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 237,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 17,992 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Guild during the 1st quarter worth approximately $149,000. Finally, Donald Smith & CO. Inc. boosted its stake in Guild by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 440,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,503,000 after purchasing an additional 9,126 shares during the period. 17.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.