HBT Financial, Inc. to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.19 (NASDAQ:HBT)

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, July 23rd, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th will be paid a dividend of 0.19 per share on Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 6th.

HBT Financial has raised its dividend payment by an average of 4.3% per year over the last three years. HBT Financial has a dividend payout ratio of 34.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect HBT Financial to earn $2.16 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.76 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 35.2%.

HBT Financial Trading Down 3.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HBT opened at $21.50 on Friday. HBT Financial has a 52-week low of $17.42 and a 52-week high of $24.85. The stock has a market cap of $679.21 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $20.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.68.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $72.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $56.82 million. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 25.61%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that HBT Financial will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 11,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.09, for a total transaction of $278,359.95. Following the transaction, the director now owns 190,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,577,100. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 11,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.09, for a total value of $278,359.95. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 190,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,577,100. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Eric E. Burwell acquired 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.99 per share, with a total value of $113,940.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 31,820 shares in the company, valued at $604,261.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 59.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HBT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James raised HBT Financial from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 10th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on HBT Financial from $21.50 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective (up previously from $25.00) on shares of HBT Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on HBT Financial from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd.

About HBT Financial

HBT Financial, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Company that provides business, commercial, and retail banking products and services to individuals, businesses, and municipal entities in Central and Northeastern Illinois, and Eastern Iowa. The company's deposits accounts consist of noninterest-bearing demand deposits, interest-bearing transaction accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposits, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts.