Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Reiterates Outperform Rating for HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT)

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated their outperform rating on shares of HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) in a research note released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has a $27.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $25.00.

HBT has been the subject of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on HBT Financial from $22.00 to $21.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 27th. Raymond James upgraded HBT Financial from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $23.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on HBT Financial from $21.00 to $21.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd.

HBT Financial Stock Up 1.4 %

HBT stock opened at $24.24 on Tuesday. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $20.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.58. The company has a market cap of $765.74 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 0.87. HBT Financial has a twelve month low of $17.42 and a twelve month high of $24.85.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $72.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $56.82 million. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 15.76% and a net margin of 25.61%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that HBT Financial will post 2.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 6th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.63%.

Insider Transactions at HBT Financial

In other news, Director Eric E. Burwell purchased 6,000 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $18.99 per share, for a total transaction of $113,940.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 31,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $604,261.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Eric E. Burwell purchased 6,000 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $18.99 per share, for a total transaction of $113,940.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 31,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $604,261.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 11,555 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.09, for a total value of $278,359.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 190,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,577,100. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 59.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HBT. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in HBT Financial by 70.3% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in HBT Financial in the 1st quarter valued at $183,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in HBT Financial by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,000 after acquiring an additional 2,418 shares in the last quarter. Meredith Wealth Planning acquired a new position in HBT Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $203,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in HBT Financial in the 4th quarter valued at $1,010,000. 78.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.