HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• HomeTrust Bancshares shares rose 1.7% to $49.43 despite trading volume falling 58% from the prior session to approximately 36,918 shares.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.94 EPS versus the $0.89 estimate and revenue of $54.54 million versus $53.22 million expected. Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating, with an average price target of $47.00.
• HomeTrust declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15, equivalent to a 1.2% annual yield, while insiders sold 61,000 shares worth approximately $2.79 million over the past three months.

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:HTB - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 36,918 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the previous session's volume of 87,006 shares.The stock last traded at $49.43 and had previously closed at $48.70.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Hovde Group raised their price target on HomeTrust Bancshares from $46.50 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of HomeTrust Bancshares from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of HomeTrust Bancshares from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $47.00.

HomeTrust Bancshares Trading Up 1.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $832.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.01 and a beta of 0.80. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $47.98.

HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.05. HomeTrust Bancshares had a net margin of 22.50% and a return on equity of 10.90%. The firm had revenue of $54.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $53.22 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

HomeTrust Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. HomeTrust Bancshares's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Hunter Westbrook sold 31,022 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.81, for a total transaction of $1,421,117.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 105,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,847,980.68. This represents a 22.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kristin Y. Powell sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total value of $46,780.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,010,214.10. This represents a 4.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 61,000 shares of company stock worth $2,794,550. Insiders own 11.02% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HomeTrust Bancshares

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares in the first quarter valued at about $35,667,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in HomeTrust Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth approximately $19,884,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in HomeTrust Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,255,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,926,000. Finally, Rosenthal Henry Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,135,000. 60.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HomeTrust Bancshares Company Profile

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for HomeTrust Bank, a regional community bank that provides a range of commercial and consumer banking services. Through its subsidiary bank, the company offers traditional deposit and lending products, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential mortgages, home equity lending, and business loans. HomeTrust also delivers treasury management and payment services for small and midsize businesses, along with digital banking tools to support day-to-day account access and payments.

The company’s product set extends beyond core banking to include wealth management and trust services, commercial real estate financing, and specialized lending for agriculture and construction where relevant to local markets.

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