HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Receives $24.75 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.75.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HBT. Hovde Group initiated coverage on HBT Financial in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $24.50 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of HBT Financial from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of HBT Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other HBT Financial news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 5,055 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.81, for a total transaction of $125,414.55. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 53,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,330,188.15. The trade was a 8.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.77, for a total value of $198,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 182,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,140. This trade represents a 4.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 38,900 shares of company stock worth $969,500. 59.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in HBT Financial by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 37,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $810,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its position in HBT Financial by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 35,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 3,227 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in HBT Financial by 65.9% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 43,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $944,000 after purchasing an additional 17,130 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 15,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after buying an additional 4,048 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 4th quarter worth $389,000. 78.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HBT Financial Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HBT opened at $22.42 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.06. The company has a market capitalization of $707.55 million, a PE ratio of 9.92 and a beta of 0.81. HBT Financial has a twelve month low of $18.00 and a twelve month high of $26.25.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.04. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 14.57%. On average, equities analysts predict that HBT Financial will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. This is an increase from HBT Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.17%.

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

About HBT Financial

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.