Short Interest in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Expands By 29.6%

Key Points

• HBT Financial, Inc. experienced a 29.6% increase in short interest in August, rising to 103,000 shares, with a short-interest ratio of 3.4 days.
• Several analysts have adjusted their price targets for HBT Financial, with an average target now set at $28.80, reflecting a general sentiment of "Moderate Buy" for the stock.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.21 per share, indicating a dividend yield of 3.3% and a payout ratio of 34.71%.

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totaling 103,000 shares, an increase of 29.6% from the July 31st total of 79,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 30,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 30,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.4 days.

HBT Financial Price Performance

Shares of HBT Financial stock traded down $0.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $25.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 15,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,129. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. HBT Financial has a one year low of $19.46 and a one year high of $27.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $804.07 million, a P/E ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $25.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.27.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.03. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 26.22%.The business had revenue of $58.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.45 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that HBT Financial will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 5th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 5th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.71%.

Institutional Trading of HBT Financial

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HBT. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of HBT Financial by 32.7% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,835 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 452 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in HBT Financial by 906.9% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,249 shares of the company's stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,827 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter valued at $208,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System purchased a new stake in HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in HBT Financial in the 1st quarter worth about $264,000. 78.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on HBT shares. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of HBT Financial from $23.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of HBT Financial from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 target price (up from $24.00) on shares of HBT Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $28.80.

HBT Financial Company Profile

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.