HomeTrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of HomeTrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Raymond James lifted their target price on HomeTrust Bancshares from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised HomeTrust Bancshares from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $32.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $30.00.

HomeTrust Bancshares Stock Performance

HTBI opened at $23.95 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. HomeTrust Bancshares has a 52-week low of $18.02 and a 52-week high of $30.99. The company has a market cap of $417.69 million, a P/E ratio of 8.06 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $25.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.65.

HomeTrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.07. HomeTrust Bancshares had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 11.41%. The firm had revenue of $50.17 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.66 million.

HomeTrust Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 15th were paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. HomeTrust Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.81%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HTBI. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in HomeTrust Bancshares by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,336,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,537,000 after acquiring an additional 191,524 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank raised its position in HomeTrust Bancshares by 237.3% during the fourth quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 239,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,447,000 after acquiring an additional 168,469 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in HomeTrust Bancshares by 394.9% during the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 90,987 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,011,000 after purchasing an additional 72,601 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares by 121.8% in the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 123,754 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,094,000 after purchasing an additional 67,965 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares by 31.4% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 194,921 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,872,000 after purchasing an additional 46,592 shares during the period. 60.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About HomeTrust Bancshares

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for HomeTrust Bank that provides a range of retail and commercial banking products and services. The company's deposit products include savings, money market, noninterest-bearing, and interest-bearing checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit for individuals, business, and nonprofit organizations.