HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Short Interest Up 121.6% in June

Key Points

• Short interest in HBT Financial surged 121.6% in June, rising to 539,273 shares as of June 30 from 243,367 at mid-month. That equals about 3.1% of shares sold short and a short-interest ratio of 1.6 days.
• Analyst opinions were mixed, with recent rating changes including Piper Sandler raising its price target to $34 and Wall Street Zen upgrading the stock to buy. Overall, the stock carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $31.25.
• HBT Financial reported better-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, posting $0.68 per share versus the $0.62 estimate and revenue of $67.84 million above forecasts. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.23, yielding about 2.9% annually.

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totaling 539,273 shares, a growth of 121.6% from the June 15th total of 243,367 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 340,177 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days. Approximately 3.1% of the company's shares are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on HBT shares. Piper Sandler increased their target price on HBT Financial from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Zacks Research downgraded HBT Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded HBT Financial from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on HBT Financial from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut HBT Financial from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HBT Financial has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.25.

Insider Activity

In other HBT Financial news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 15,742 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.93, for a total transaction of $455,416.06. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 45,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,325,427.95. This trade represents a 25.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 51.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 7.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 17,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 1,254 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in HBT Financial by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 23,675 shares of the company's stock worth $633,000 after buying an additional 6,261 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in HBT Financial by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 561,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,995,000 after buying an additional 15,350 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 17.2% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 28,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $764,000 after acquiring an additional 4,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co grew its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 857.6% during the first quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 160,487 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,288,000 after acquiring an additional 143,727 shares in the last quarter. 78.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HBT Financial Stock Up 1.3%

NASDAQ:HBT traded up $0.43 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $32.20. The company had a trading volume of 11,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 93,632. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.81 and a beta of 0.51. HBT Financial has a 1 year low of $22.36 and a 1 year high of $33.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $67.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.75 million. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 13.06% and a net margin of 22.72%. Equities analysts forecast that HBT Financial will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 12th were given a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 12th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.20%.

HBT Financial Company Profile

HBT Financial, Inc is the bank holding company for HomeTrust Bank, a community-focused financial institution based in Lenoir, North Carolina. Through its subsidiary, HomeTrust Bank, the company provides a full suite of personal and business banking services across western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and Upstate South Carolina. The company's operations include a network of branch offices, ATMs and online banking platforms designed to serve both urban and rural communities in its primary market areas.

HomeTrust Bank's product offerings encompass traditional deposit accounts such as checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.

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