We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Should Value Investors Now Choose Hilltop Holdings (HTH) Stock?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Hilltop Holdings Inc. (HTH - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Hilltop Holdings has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 7.3, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 30.27. If we focus on the long-term PE trend Hilltop Holdings’ current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.
However, the stock’s PE also compares unfavorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 20.63. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is slightly undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Hilltop Holdings has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 11.21, so it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near future.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Hilltop Holdings has a P/S ratio of about 2.9. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.33 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is somewhat below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Hilltop Holdings currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Hilltop Holdings a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the P/CF ratio for Hilltop Holdings comes in at 6.99, which is better than the industry average of 12.57. Clearly, HTH is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Hilltop Holdings might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of B and Momentum Score of B. This gives Hilltop Holdings a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter estimate witnessed one upward revision in the past sixty days compared to no downward revision, while the current year estimate witnessed two upward revisions compared to no downward revision in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate improved 8.7% in the past two months, whereas the current year estimate improved 7.6% in the past two months. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Notably, the stock with favorable estimate trends has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), which is why we are looking for outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Hilltop Holdings is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Furthermore, the company carries a robust industry rank (among the top 6%) along with a Zacks Rank #1, which indicates that the broader factors are favorable for the company.
So, value investors might want to delve deeper in this stock as it appears to be a compelling pick.
Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential
The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases.
Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +50%, +83% and +164% in as little as 2 months. The stocks in this report could perform even better.
Image: Bigstock
Should Value Investors Now Choose Hilltop Holdings (HTH) Stock?
Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Hilltop Holdings Inc. (HTH - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Hilltop Holdings has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 7.3, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 30.27. If we focus on the long-term PE trend Hilltop Holdings’ current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.
However, the stock’s PE also compares unfavorably with the Zacks Finance sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 20.63. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is slightly undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Hilltop Holdings has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 11.21, so it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near future.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Hilltop Holdings has a P/S ratio of about 2.9. This is substantially lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 5.33 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is somewhat below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Hilltop Holdings currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Hilltop Holdings a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
For example, the P/CF ratio for Hilltop Holdings comes in at 6.99, which is better than the industry average of 12.57. Clearly, HTH is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Hilltop Holdings might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of B and Momentum Score of B. This gives Hilltop Holdings a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter estimate witnessed one upward revision in the past sixty days compared to no downward revision, while the current year estimate witnessed two upward revisions compared to no downward revision in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate improved 8.7% in the past two months, whereas the current year estimate improved 7.6% in the past two months. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Hilltop Holdings Inc. Price and Consensus
Hilltop Holdings Inc. price-consensus-chart | Hilltop Holdings Inc. Quote
Notably, the stock with favorable estimate trends has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), which is why we are looking for outperformance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Hilltop Holdings is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Furthermore, the company carries a robust industry rank (among the top 6%) along with a Zacks Rank #1, which indicates that the broader factors are favorable for the company.
So, value investors might want to delve deeper in this stock as it appears to be a compelling pick.
Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential
The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases.
Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +50%, +83% and +164% in as little as 2 months. The stocks in this report could perform even better.
See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>>