HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Reaches New 52-Week High - Here's Why

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $26.71 and last traded at $26.44, with a volume of 8661 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.57.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Hovde Group upgraded HBT Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $25.80.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.26 and a 200 day moving average of $23.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $827.51 million, a PE ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 0.58.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 14.13% and a net margin of 25.88%. The business had revenue of $63.14 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $57.57 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 6th. HBT Financial's payout ratio is currently 35.29%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new position in HBT Financial during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $422,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of HBT Financial by 96.8% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 46,109 shares of the company's stock worth $1,010,000 after acquiring an additional 22,682 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of HBT Financial by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 461,630 shares of the company's stock worth $10,110,000 after acquiring an additional 29,200 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of HBT Financial by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 20,758 shares of the company's stock worth $455,000 after acquiring an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in shares of HBT Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $389,000. 78.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.