It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence is a common goal for all investors. Achieving those goals has never been easier, thanks to the unique set of guidelines provided by the Zacks Style Scores. These scores rate stocks based on popular investing methodologies such as value, growth, and momentum, helping you narrow down which stocks are better suited for your portfolio and which ones have the potential to beat the market over the long-term.
One key area that many investors overlook is the importance of trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. This is where momentum-oriented investors come into play. They live by the saying "the trend is your friend," believing that identifying and riding upward or downward trends can lead to significant returns. To help you achieve this, the Momentum Style Score employs factors such as one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.
To better understand how all these elements come together, let's take a closer look at Hilltop Holdings (HTH). Founded in 1998, HTH is a financial holding company based in Dallas, TX. It provides consumer and business banking services through PlainsCapital Bank and offers a wide range of financial products and services through its broker-dealers, including Hilltop Securities Inc. and Hilltop Securities Independent Network Inc., as well as mortgage origination through PrimeLending. At the time of its last annual report in 2025, HTH employed nearly 3,640 people and operated through roughly 316 locations across 47 states.
HTH boasts a Momentum Style Score of B and VGM Score of A, indicating that it has consistently outperformed other stocks based on growth metrics. It also holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) rating, suggesting that the company's shares have demonstrated moderate price appreciation but may be due for a correction or reversal in the near future. Looking at HTH's stock prices, we can see some interesting trends; over the past one week, its value has decreased by 3.9%, while the last four weeks have seen an increase of 2.2%. However, the trend isn't as consistent when looking at a greater time span - shares have lost 5.1% in the last year.
In terms of trading volume, we find that HTH's average daily trading has remained steady, with approximately 332,153.84 shares being traded over the last 20 days. Investors following this stock closely should also pay close attention to a company's earnings performance. For example, since the beginning of 2025, four analysts have revised their earnings estimates upwards; and as a result, Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased by $0.32 per share for that year to $1.86.
When it comes to surprise in actual earnings figures compared with forecasts (i.e., an "earnings surprise" or "surprise"), Hilltop Holdings' record is impressive, boasting on average a stunning 68.9% of positive surprises and setting itself apart from other stocks that experience less favorable results or none at all.
With such strong earnings growth along with its good Zacks Rank, Hilltop Holdings' top-tier performance in both Momentum and VGM Style Scores strongly suggests its viability to be added to nearly any investor's portfolio as of March 2025.
Conclusion
When evaluating potential investments, one must always consider the long-term implications for each stock, including momentum indicators that suggest what an investor should anticipate from either short- or long-term positions. Considering Hilltop Holdings' impressive earnings growth history, its solid investment scorecards and substantial trading volumes point firmly towards recommending investors add a position in HTH to their portfolios. By taking a close look at Hilltop Holdings as a potential new stock purchase for your portfolio, we can help investors make wise choices with confidence thanks to the Zacks Style Scores.