JPMorgan Chase & Co. Raises Stock Position in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Free Report) by 96.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,109 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 22,682 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.15% of HBT Financial worth $1,010,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HBT. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 47.7% during the 4th 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 last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial in the 4th quarter worth $57,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,309 shares of the company's stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 756 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. purchased a new stake in shares of HBT Financial in the fourth quarter valued at about $242,000. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust purchased a new position in HBT Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $438,000. 78.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at HBT Financial

In related news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.77, for a total transaction of $198,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 182,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,140. The trade was a 4.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 directly owns 22,825 shares in the company, valued at $574,048.75. This trade represents a 30.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 23,845 shares of company stock valued at $600,286. 59.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HBT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of HBT Financial in a report on Thursday, March 27th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $24.50 price target for the company. Piper Sandler reduced their target price 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, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $24.75.

HBT Financial Trading Up 2.4 %

NASDAQ:HBT traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $23.66. 4,298 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 32,348. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market capitalization of $748.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 0.62. HBT Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $18.16 and a twelve month high of $26.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $22.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.11.

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

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.29%.

About HBT Financial

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.