HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded HBT Financial from hold to buy, adding to a mixed but generally constructive analyst backdrop for the stock.
• Other firms have been split on the name: DA Davidson and Piper Sandler raised price targets while keeping neutral ratings, while Zacks Research downgraded the stock to hold. Overall, HBT now carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $31.25.
• The company’s shares rose 0.6% to $32.06 after reporting better-than-expected quarterly results, including $0.68 EPS versus the $0.62 estimate and revenue of $67.84 million above forecasts.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on HBT. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of HBT Financial from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of HBT Financial from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of HBT Financial from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $31.25.

HBT Financial Stock Up 0.6%

HBT Financial stock traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $32.06. The stock had a trading volume of 78,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 231,945. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $29.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.13. HBT Financial has a 12 month low of $22.36 and a 12 month high of $33.10. The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.71 and a beta of 0.51. 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 released its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $67.84 million for 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%. Research analysts predict that HBT Financial will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at HBT Financial

In related news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 15,742 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.93, for a total value of $455,416.06. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 45,815 shares in the company, valued at $1,325,427.95. This trade represents a 25.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 51.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HBT. Heartland Bank & Trust Co increased 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 during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in HBT Financial during the 1st quarter valued at $3,349,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 51.1% in the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 257,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,658,000 after buying an additional 87,085 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new position in HBT Financial during the third quarter valued at about $725,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in HBT Financial by 315.1% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 36,449 shares of the company's stock worth $942,000 after acquiring an additional 27,669 shares during the period. 78.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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