Hilltop Holdings reported fourth-quarter earnings of $0.69 per share, comfortably ahead of the consensus estimate of $0.46 and up from $0.55 in the year-ago quarter. Total revenues rose 6% year-over-year to $520 million, driven by both lending operations and fee-based services. The company’s return on tangible common equity expanded to 15.2%, compared with 13.8% in Q4 of 2024.

Net interest income (NII) climbed 9% from a year earlier to $330 million, reflecting a higher yield environment and disciplined asset mix management. Fee income increased 15% to $90 million, led by mortgage servicing and advisory businesses. Management highlighted that mortgage banking fees contributed $35 million to the quarter’s results, the highest quarterly total in two years.

Board members approved an 11% increase in the quarterly common dividend, raising it from $0.19 to $0.21 per share. This marks the fifth consecutive annual dividend boost and underscores the company’s commitment to returning capital to shareholders while maintaining a common equity tier 1 capital ratio of 12.5%, well above regulatory minimums.

Hilltop also unveiled a new $125 million share repurchase program, to be executed over the next 12 months. The authorization replaces any remaining capacity under prior buyback plans and is expected to reduce diluted share count by approximately 3% if fully deployed. Executives noted the plan enhances per-share earnings power and aligns with the company’s disciplined capital allocation framework.