Guild (NYSE:GHLD) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Guild Holdings (NYSE:GHLD) saw strong trading volume on Wednesday . 9,966 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 20% from the previous session’s volume of 12,472 shares.The stock last traded at $14.53 and had previously closed at $14.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Guild from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Guild from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Guild from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, JMP Securities lifted their price objective on Guild from $14.00 to $16.50 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $17.50.

Guild Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $895.62 million, a P/E ratio of 34.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $16.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Guild (NYSE:GHLD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.21. Guild had a net margin of 3.28% and a return on equity of 5.83%. The company had revenue of $285.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $257.97 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Guild Holdings will post 1.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guild

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bridges Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Guild during the second quarter worth about $10,497,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Guild in the first quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Castleview Partners LLC bought a new position in Guild during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $79,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in shares of Guild by 8.2% in 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 period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 17,992 shares during the period. 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.