HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• HBT Financial has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from seven brokerages, with four buys and three holds. The average 12-month price target is $37.40, while recent targets range as high as $44.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.78 EPS versus the $0.73 consensus and $80.90 million in revenue. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $3.01.
• HBT increased its quarterly dividend to $0.25 per share, representing a $1.00 annualized payout and a 2.8% yield. Institutional investors own approximately 78.55% of the company’s stock.

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $37.40.

HBT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $41.00 price target (up from $38.00) on shares of HBT Financial in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded HBT Financial from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered HBT Financial from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Piper Sandler raised their target price on HBT Financial from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Hovde Group lifted their target price on HBT Financial from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

Shares of HBT opened at $35.42 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $35.56 and a 200-day moving average of $31.09. The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. HBT Financial has a 1 year low of $22.36 and a 1 year high of $37.51.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $80.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $80.36 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 23.44% and a return on equity of 13.46%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that HBT Financial will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from HBT Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio is 42.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in HBT Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $451,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $374,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $9,552,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $147,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,048,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.55% of the company's stock.

About HBT Financial

HBT Financial, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois. Through its principal subsidiary, Heartland Bank and Trust Company, the company provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and agricultural customers.

Heartland Bank offers deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, consumer loans, commercial lending, agricultural financing and treasury management services. Its other services include wealth management, trust and investment services, online and mobile banking, and insurance-related products.

The company serves communities primarily across central, eastern and western Illinois through a network of banking locations and digital channels.

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