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

Shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $30.75.

HBT has been the topic of a number of research reports. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of HBT Financial from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock 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. Wall Street Zen raised HBT Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded HBT Financial from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on HBT Financial from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th.

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 that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.93, for a total transaction of $455,416.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 45,815 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,325,427.95. This trade represents a 25.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 51.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in HBT Financial by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 15,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 2,307 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in HBT Financial during the 1st quarter worth about $286,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $208,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in HBT Financial by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 20,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $512,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new stake in HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $297,000. Institutional investors own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HBT opened at $28.64 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.14 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. HBT Financial has a 1 year low of $22.36 and a 1 year high of $29.88.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $67.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $66.75 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 22.72% and a return on equity of 13.06%. As a group, research analysts predict that HBT Financial will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.20%.

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.