35,229 Shares in HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. $HTB Purchased by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management purchased 35,229 shares of HomeTrust Bancshares valued at approximately $1.5 million, while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 60.94% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment improved, with Zacks Research upgrading HTB to “strong buy” and the average analyst rating standing at “Buy” with a $47 price target. The stock recently traded at $51.79, near its 52-week high.
• HomeTrust Bancshares beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.94 in earnings per share versus the $0.89 consensus and revenue of $54.54 million. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, representing a 1.2% annualized yield.

Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:HTB - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 35,229 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,503,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.21% of HomeTrust Bancshares at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CrossGen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth approximately $91,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares in the first quarter valued at approximately $187,000. Sentinel Trust Co. LBA acquired a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares in the first quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Finally, AMG National Trust Bank purchased a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares in the first quarter worth approximately $288,000. 60.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HTB shares. Zacks Research upgraded HomeTrust Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Hovde Group increased their price target on HomeTrust Bancshares from $46.50 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised HomeTrust Bancshares from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $47.00.

HomeTrust Bancshares Stock Performance

Shares of HTB stock opened at $51.79 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market cap of $870.56 million, a P/E ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 0.81. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $48.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.65. HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. has a one year low of $37.35 and a one year high of $52.50.

HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $54.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $53.22 million. HomeTrust Bancshares had a net margin of 22.50% and a return on equity of 10.90%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.87 EPS for the current year.

HomeTrust Bancshares Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 13th. HomeTrust Bancshares's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Hunter Westbrook sold 3,904 shares of HomeTrust Bancshares stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.17, for a total value of $180,247.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 105,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,886,078.76. The trade was a 3.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kristin Y. Powell sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total transaction of $46,780.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,010,214.10. The trade was a 4.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 14,904 shares of company stock worth $738,328 over the last three months. Company insiders own 11.02% of the company's stock.

About HomeTrust Bancshares

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for HomeTrust Bank, a regional community bank that provides a range of commercial and consumer banking services. Through its subsidiary bank, the company offers traditional deposit and lending products, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential mortgages, home equity lending, and business loans. HomeTrust also delivers treasury management and payment services for small and midsize businesses, along with digital banking tools to support day-to-day account access and payments.

The company’s product set extends beyond core banking to include wealth management and trust services, commercial real estate financing, and specialized lending for agriculture and construction where relevant to local markets.

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