HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Sees Large Volume Increase

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 25,460 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 9% from the previous session’s volume of 27,933 shares.The stock last traded at $23.28 and had previously closed at $23.55.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on HBT shares. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of HBT Financial from $21.50 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price objective (up previously from $25.00) on shares of HBT Financial in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd.

HBT Financial Stock Down 0.8 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $737.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $22.15 and its 200 day moving average is $20.20.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $72.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $56.82 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 25.61% and a return on equity of 15.53%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 6th were issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 6th. HBT Financial’s payout ratio is 33.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 11,555 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.09, for a total transaction of $278,359.95. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 190,000 shares in the company, valued at $4,577,100. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 59.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HBT. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in HBT Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $183,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in HBT Financial by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in HBT Financial by 109.9% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 27,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 14,400 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in HBT Financial by 19.0% in the 2nd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 95,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,949,000 after purchasing an additional 15,242 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in HBT Financial by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 119,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 5,859 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

HBT Financial Company 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.