Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Shares of Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 100,250 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 705% from the previous session’s volume of 12,449 shares.The stock last traded at $14.16 and had previously closed at $14.49.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GHLD. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Guild from $11.50 to $12.50 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One equities 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.60.

Guild Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $13.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.96. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $883.99 million, a P/E ratio of -9.21, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.98.

Guild Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.01%. Guild’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.94%.

Institutional Trading of Guild

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GHLD. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Guild by 18.6% during the fourth 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 period. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Guild by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 6,134 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Guild by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 1,709 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Guild by 2.0% during the 3rd 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 period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Guild by 419.9% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 125,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 101,209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.