HomeTrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTBI)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $39.90 and last traded at $39.90, with a volume of 102 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $37.98.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on HTBI shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $39.00 price target (up from $38.00) on shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com raised HomeTrust Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Raymond James lowered HomeTrust Bancshares from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Hovde Group started coverage on HomeTrust Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, HomeTrust Bancshares has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $38.00.

HomeTrust Bancshares Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.93. The company has a market cap of $654.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.82 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

HomeTrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by ($0.04). HomeTrust Bancshares had a net margin of 18.53% and a return on equity of 10.41%. The business had revenue of $74.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $50.13 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HomeTrust Bancshares Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a $0.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. This is an increase from HomeTrust Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. HomeTrust Bancshares’s payout ratio is currently 13.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HomeTrust Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTBI. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in HomeTrust Bancshares by 28.4% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in HomeTrust Bancshares in the second quarter valued at $201,000. Princeton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $222,000. Creative Planning purchased a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at $266,000. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at $323,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 60.94% of the company’s stock.

HomeTrust Bancshares Company Profile

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for HomeTrust Bank that provides a range of retail and commercial banking products and services. The company’s deposit products include savings, money market, noninterest-bearing, and interest-bearing checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit for individuals, business, and nonprofit organizations.