UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Lowers Stock Position in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lessened its stake in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) by 21.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,272 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,409 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in HBT Financial were worth $356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HBT. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 70.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 1,784 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in HBT Financial during the third quarter worth $122,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of HBT Financial in the 3rd quarter worth about $251,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in shares of HBT Financial by 3.8% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in HBT Financial during the third quarter worth $295,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at HBT Financial

In other HBT Financial news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 4,798 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.92, for a total value of $114,768.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 86,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,073,194.24. This represents a 5.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,498 shares of company stock worth $351,985. 59.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

HBT Financial Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HBT opened at $22.08 on Friday. HBT Financial, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.75 and a fifty-two week high of $25.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $696.82 million, a PE ratio of 10.04 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $23.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.94.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $56.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.05 million. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 14.70% and a net margin of 24.68%. Sell-side analysts expect that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 18th that allows the company to buyback $15.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HBT. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on HBT Financial from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson lowered shares of HBT Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $26.00 to $24.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $24.40.

HBT Financial Profile

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.