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

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $24.75.

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

HBT Financial Stock Performance

HBT Financial stock opened at $22.42 on Thursday. HBT Financial has a fifty-two week low of $18.00 and a fifty-two week high of $26.25. The company has a market capitalization of $707.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.92 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $23.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.06. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share 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, analysts anticipate that HBT Financial will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th were given a $0.21 dividend. This is a positive change from HBT Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 4th. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.17%.

HBT Financial declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 18th that allows the company to repurchase $15.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at HBT Financial

In related news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.77, for a total value of $198,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 182,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,508,140. This represents a 4.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.38, for a total value of $243,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 58,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,430,374.60. The trade was a 14.56 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,900 shares of company stock valued at $969,500 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 59.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in shares of HBT Financial by 47.7% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,335 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of HBT Financial by 70.1% during 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 during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in HBT Financial by 27.8% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 7,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 1,638 shares during the period. 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.