Home Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBCP) Short Interest Update

Home Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBCP) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 34,800 shares, an increase of 42.6% from the February 28th total of 24,400 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 24,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Home Bancorp Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Home Bancorp stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $45.00. 5,807 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,746. The firm has a market capitalization of $364.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Home Bancorp has a 52-week low of $33.30 and a 52-week high of $52.77. The company has a fifty day moving average of $47.51 and a 200-day moving average of $46.83.

Home Bancorp (NASDAQ:HBCP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The bank reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.07. Home Bancorp had a return on equity of 9.57% and a net margin of 18.27%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Home Bancorp will post 4.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Home Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Monday, February 10th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a positive change from Home Bancorp’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 10th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. Home Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 23.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler began coverage on Home Bancorp in a report on Friday, February 21st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $60.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Home Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Home Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of Home Bancorp by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 8,700 shares of the bank’s stock worth $402,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its position in Home Bancorp by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 18,187 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in Home Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $919,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Home Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth about $180,000. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Home Bancorp by 31.7% in the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 8,335 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 2,006 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 49.41% of the company’s stock.

Home Bancorp Company Profile

Home Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Home Bank, National Association that provides various banking products and services in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. It offers deposit products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing checking, money market, savings, NOW, and certificates of deposit accounts.