Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 17,900 shares, an increase of 842.1% from the December 15th total of 1,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 12,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.4 days. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Guild Price Performance

Shares of GHLD traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $12.42. The company had a trading volume of 9,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,673. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.86. Guild has a 1-year low of $11.21 and a 1-year high of $18.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a current ratio of 0.06. The company has a market capitalization of $768.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Guild in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Guild from $17.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Guild from $14.50 to $13.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guild

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bridges Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Guild during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,497,000. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in Guild by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 653,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,875,000 after purchasing an additional 69,603 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Guild by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 269,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,488,000 after purchasing an additional 13,668 shares during the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC bought a new position in Guild during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Guild by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 27,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the last quarter. 17.52% of the stock is currently 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.