Hilltop Holdings Inc. HTH reported first-quarter 2016 operating earnings per share of 28 cents, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 34 cents by 17.6%. Earnings declined 74.8% on a year-over-year basis. The underperformance was due to higher expenses and a decline in interest and non-interest income. Net interest income dipped 0.6% year over year to $90.1 million. Non-interest income decreased 21.3% year over year to $277.7 million.Hilltop incurred provision for loan losses of $3.4 million, which surged 26.8% year over year. Total interest expenses came in at $14.6 million, up 2.3% from the year-ago quarter. Non-interest expenses rose 3.4% year over year to $325.2 million.Financial UpdateAs of Mar 31, 2016, Hilltop’s cash and due from banks was $512 million, down 26.2% year over year. The securities portfolio at year-end 2015 was $1.3 billion, down 1.3% from $1.4 billion as of Mar 31, 2015.As of Mar 31, 2016, total shareholders’ equity was $1.76 billion, down 1.2% from $1.78 billion as of Mar 31, 2015. Total assets were $11.7 billion as of Mar 31, 2016, down 6.6% from $12.6 billion as of Mar 31, 2015.Total liabilities declined 7.5% to $9.9 billion from $10.8 billion as of Mar 31, 2015. Total deposits declined 2% year over year to $6.9 billion.Hilltop’s annualized return on average assets and return on average equity in the first quarter of 2016 were 0.96% and 6.32%, respectively, compared with 3.64% and 26.76% as of Mar 31, 2015.Profitability MetricsAs of Mar 31, 2016, Hilltop’s book value was $17.84 per share, up 7.4% year over year. Annualized net interest margin increased to 3.7% at the end of the first quarter from 3.53% as of Mar 31, 2015. Return on average equity decreased to 6.32% from 26.76% in the year-ago period.Hilltop’s total capital ratio was 18.60% as of Mar 31, 2016, decreasing from 20.82% as of Mar 31, 2015.Zacks Rank and Other StocksHilltop presently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some better-ranked stocks include Access National Corp. ANCX, First NBC Bank Holding Co. FNBC and First Bancorp FBP. Each of these stocks sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ACCESS NATL CP (ANCX): Free Stock Analysis Report FIRST BNCRP P R (FBP): Free Stock Analysis Report HILLTOP HLDGS (HTH): Free Stock Analysis Report FIRST NBC BANK (FNBC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research