HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Strong Earnings

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $34.42 and last traded at $33.97, with a volume of 28166 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.29.

The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.05. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 13.06% and a net margin of 22.72%.The firm had revenue of $80.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.36 million.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. HBT Financial’s payout ratio is currently 42.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HBT shares. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of HBT Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Zacks Research lowered HBT Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on HBT Financial from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded HBT Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at HBT Financial

In other news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 15,742 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.93, for a total value of $455,416.06. Following the sale, the chairman directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 51.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in HBT Financial by 42.4% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 1,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 66.6% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 906.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,827 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial in the 1st quarter worth $241,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

HBT Financial Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $30.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.31 and a beta of 0.51.

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.