Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Shares Up 5% – Should You Buy?

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD)’s stock price traded up 5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $13.50 and last traded at $13.51. 2,185 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 11,570 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.86.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GHLD. Compass Point increased their price objective on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Guild from $11.50 to $12.50 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $16.60.

Guild Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $12.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $14.11. The company has a market cap of $830.75 million, a P/E ratio of -8.66, 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 14.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Guild’s payout ratio is 64.94%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Guild by 2.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 98,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,901 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Guild by 5.3% during the third 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. Basswood Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Guild by 11.9% during the third 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. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Guild by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 15,441 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 2,421 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Guild by 57.5% in the fourth quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 16,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 6,134 shares during 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.