HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $25.52 and last traded at $25.41, with a volume of 60140 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $24.89.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HBT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on HBT Financial from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of HBT Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HBT Financial has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.80.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.55. The company has a market capitalization of $786.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.04. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 24.99%. Equities research analysts predict that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. This is a boost from HBT Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.17%.

HBT Financial declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at HBT Financial

In other news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.77, for a total transaction of $198,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 182,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,140. The trade was a 4.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 5,055 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.81, for a total value of $125,414.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 53,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,330,188.15. This represents a 8.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 37,553 shares of company stock worth $919,360 in the last 90 days. 59.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 70.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,784 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the third quarter worth $122,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the third quarter worth $251,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the third quarter valued at $295,000. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $438,000. Institutional investors own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

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.