HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $37.40.

HBT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of HBT Financial from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $41.00 target price (up from $38.00) on shares of HBT Financial in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Hovde Group lifted their price target on HBT Financial from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of HBT Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised HBT Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ HBT opened at $36.25 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. HBT Financial has a 52-week low of $22.36 and a 52-week high of $37.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.29.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $80.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.36 million. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 13.46% and a net margin of 23.44%. On average, research analysts predict that HBT Financial will post 3.01 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from HBT Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HBT. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 7.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 17,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 1,254 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in HBT Financial by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 19,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $518,000 after buying an additional 3,136 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its holdings in HBT Financial by 16.6% during the 1st quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 25,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 3,640 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 4,200 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $147,000. 78.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About HBT Financial

HBT Financial, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois. Through its principal subsidiary, Heartland Bank and Trust Company, the company provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and agricultural customers.

Heartland Bank offers deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, consumer loans, commercial lending, agricultural financing and treasury management services. Its other services include wealth management, trust and investment services, online and mobile banking, and insurance-related products.

The company serves communities primarily across central, eastern and western Illinois through a network of banking locations and digital channels.