HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s What Happened

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $30.09 and last traded at $30.1580, with a volume of 16705 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $29.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HBT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded HBT Financial from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. DA Davidson raised their price target on HBT Financial from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Zacks Research downgraded HBT Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on HBT Financial from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded HBT Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $30.75.

HBT Financial Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $28.16 and a 200 day moving average of $27.21. The company has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.97 and a beta of 0.53. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 13.06% and a net margin of 22.72%.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 anticipate that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.20%.

Insider Transactions at HBT Financial

In other HBT Financial news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 15,742 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.93, for a total value of $455,416.06. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 45,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,325,427.95. This trade represents a 25.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 51.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HBT. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in HBT Financial by 17.4% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 15,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 2,307 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in HBT Financial in the first quarter worth about $286,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in HBT Financial in the second quarter worth about $208,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in HBT Financial by 6.0% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 20,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $512,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in HBT Financial in the second quarter worth about $297,000. 78.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About HBT Financial

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.