HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded HBT Financial from a 'hold' to a strong-buy, and other analysts have lifted targets to roughly $29–$30, leaving the consensus rating at Buy with an average target of $29.00.
• HBT reported quarterly EPS of $0.64 (in line with estimates) on $61.46M revenue, with a 13.5% ROE and 26.2% net margin; the stock trades near $27.89, has a market cap of $1.02B and a PE of 11.43.
• Institutional ownership is high at about 78.55%, with several funds (including Dimensional and Adage) increasing their stakes in recent filings.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on HBT. Raymond James Financial raised HBT Financial from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings raised HBT Financial from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on HBT Financial from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HBT Financial presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $29.00.

HBT Financial Price Performance

NASDAQ:HBT opened at $27.89 on Monday. HBT Financial has a one year low of $22.17 and a one year high of $29.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.19.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.64. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 13.50% and a net margin of 26.20%.The firm had revenue of $61.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $61.00 million. Equities research analysts expect that HBT Financial will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in HBT Financial by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 545,809 shares of the company's stock worth $14,110,000 after acquiring an additional 22,048 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in HBT Financial by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 318,379 shares of the company's stock worth $8,230,000 after acquiring an additional 9,874 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in HBT Financial by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 288,455 shares of the company's stock worth $7,458,000 after acquiring an additional 16,641 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in 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 worth $6,658,000 after acquiring an additional 87,085 shares during the period. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its position in HBT Financial by 2.7% in the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 109,891 shares of the company's stock worth $2,769,000 after acquiring an additional 2,887 shares during the period. 78.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About HBT Financial

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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