Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Raises HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Price Target to $38.00

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) had its price objective boosted by analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $34.00 to $38.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective points to a potential upside of 9.86% from the company’s previous close.

HBT has been the subject of several other reports. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on HBT Financial from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Zacks Research downgraded HBT Financial from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Weiss Ratings lowered HBT Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded HBT Financial from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.25.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

Shares of HBT opened at $34.59 on Tuesday. HBT Financial has a 1 year low of $22.36 and a 1 year high of $35.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $30.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.67. The firm has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.87 and a beta of 0.51.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.05. HBT Financial had a net margin of 22.72% and a return on equity of 13.06%. The company had revenue of $80.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $80.36 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that HBT Financial will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HBT. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 42.4% in the 4th 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 grew its holdings 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 increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 906.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,827 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in shares of HBT Financial in the second quarter worth approximately $208,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new stake in HBT Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $241,000. 78.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HBT Financial News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting HBT Financial this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and revenue topped estimates: Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.78, ahead of the $0.73–$0.74 consensus range, while revenue of approximately $80.9 million exceeded the roughly $80.4 million forecast. EPS also increased from $0.63 a year earlier. HBT Financial beats second-quarter earnings and revenue forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability improved sharply: GAAP net income rose to $27.8 million, or $0.76 per diluted share, versus $19.2 million, or $0.61 per share, in the prior-year quarter. Net interest income increased 39.1% year over year to $69.1 million, supported by the CNB Bank acquisition and higher asset yields.
• Positive Sentiment: Margins and credit quality were favorable: Net interest margin expanded 12 basis points sequentially to 4.32%, while nonperforming assets declined to 0.15% of total assets from 0.21% in the prior quarter. The bank recorded modest net recoveries rather than charge-offs.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased: HBT declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, up from $0.23, payable August 18 to shareholders of record August 11. The increase signals confidence in capital strength following the CNB acquisition. HBT Financial second-quarter financial results
• Neutral Sentiment: Integration benefits are emerging: Acquisition-related costs fell substantially from the first quarter, and management said material cost savings from CNB are now being realized. However, second-quarter expenses remained 33% above the year-ago level as the larger organization carries higher operating costs.
• Negative Sentiment: Funding pressure remains a risk: Funding costs rose to 1.32%, and deposits declined by $45.5 million sequentially, potentially limiting future margin expansion. Analysts’ reported median price target of $32.50 also sits below the stock’s recent trading level, suggesting valuation concerns after the rally.

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.