HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $38.47 and last traded at $37.7650, with a volume of 9,859 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.51.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on HBT. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of HBT Financial from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings raised HBT Financial from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Hovde Group boosted their price objective on HBT Financial from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on HBT Financial from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered HBT Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $39.20.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.80 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50 day moving average is $35.98 and its 200-day moving average is $31.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 26th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $84.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $82.87 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.66% and a return on equity of 14.48%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 3.16 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 9th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 9th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 7.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 17,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 1,254 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 19,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $518,000 after purchasing an additional 3,136 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its position in HBT Financial by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 25,516 shares of the company’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 3,640 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its position in HBT Financial by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 28,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $764,000 after purchasing an additional 4,200 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in HBT Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at $147,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

HBT Financial Company Profile

HBT Financial, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois. Its principal subsidiary, Heartland Bank and Trust Company, operates as a community bank serving individuals, businesses, agricultural customers and institutions.

Heartland Bank provides a range of traditional banking products, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential and commercial real estate loans, consumer loans, commercial lending and agricultural financing. The bank also offers treasury management, online and mobile banking, wealth management, trust and investment services, and other financial solutions.

Through its branch network and digital channels, HBT Financial serves communities primarily across central and eastern Illinois and parts of eastern Iowa.