HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.25.

A number of brokerages have commented on HBT. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on HBT Financial from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered HBT Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded HBT Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research downgraded HBT Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on HBT Financial from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th.

HBT Financial Stock Up 3.6%

HBT Financial stock opened at $33.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $29.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.32. HBT Financial has a 1-year low of $22.36 and a 1-year high of $33.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.06. HBT Financial had a net margin of 22.72% and a return on equity of 13.06%. The company had revenue of $67.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.75 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that HBT Financial will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were paid a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HBT Financial

In related news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 15,742 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.93, for a total transaction of $455,416.06. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 45,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,325,427.95. The trade was a 25.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 51.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 7.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 17,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 1,254 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in HBT Financial by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 23,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,000 after purchasing an additional 6,261 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in HBT Financial by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 561,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,995,000 after purchasing an additional 15,350 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 28,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 4,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 857.6% during the 1st quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 160,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,288,000 after purchasing an additional 143,727 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

HBT Financial Company Profile

HBT Financial, Inc is the bank holding company for HomeTrust Bank, a community-focused financial institution based in Lenoir, North Carolina. Through its subsidiary, HomeTrust Bank, the company provides a full suite of personal and business banking services across western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and Upstate South Carolina. The company’s operations include a network of branch offices, ATMs and online banking platforms designed to serve both urban and rural communities in its primary market areas.

HomeTrust Bank’s product offerings encompass traditional deposit accounts such as checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.