HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Rating Increased to Outperform at Hovde Group

Hovde Group upgraded shares of HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Free Report) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. Hovde Group currently has $28.00 price target on the stock.

Separately, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on HBT Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, HBT Financial presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $25.80.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ HBT traded down $0.15 on Tuesday, reaching $23.55. The stock had a trading volume of 18,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,626. HBT Financial has a 1-year low of $18.16 and a 1-year high of $26.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market cap of $741.71 million, a P/E ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $22.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.16.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 14.57%. The business had revenue of $63.14 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that HBT Financial will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.29%.

Insider Activity at HBT Financial

In other news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.15, for a total value of $251,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 22,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at $574,048.75. This represents a 30.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 59.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 47.7% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 1,335 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in shares of HBT Financial in the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of HBT Financial by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,309 shares of the company's stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 27.8% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 7,522 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,000 after buying an additional 1,638 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. bought a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. 78.55% of the stock is owned by 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.