HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Trading Up 4%

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) was up 4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $18.89 and last traded at $18.89. Approximately 3,765 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 27,157 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of HBT Financial from $21.50 to $21.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th.

HBT Financial Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $18.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $585.97 million, a P/E ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.86.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.60. The firm had revenue of $70.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $57.78 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.84% and a return on equity of 16.93%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.62 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.24 earnings per share for the current year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 5th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.10%. This is a positive change from HBT Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at HBT Financial

In other news, Director Roger A. Baker acquired 3,632 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $18.86 per share, with a total value of $68,499.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 559,804 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,557,903.44. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Roger A. Baker purchased 3,632 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.86 per share, with a total value of $68,499.52. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 559,804 shares in the company, valued at $10,557,903.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Roger A. Baker purchased 1,888 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.68 per share, with a total value of $35,267.84. Following the transaction, the director now owns 555,980 shares in the company, valued at $10,385,706.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 5,820 shares of company stock valued at $109,417. 58.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HBT. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 366.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,511 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares during the period. West Tower Group LLC grew its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 289.1% during the 4th quarter. West Tower Group LLC now owns 1,743 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,295 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 250.1% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,902 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 2,073 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 4,313.5% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,928 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 3,839 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 998.0% during the 2nd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 4,370 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 3,972 shares during the period. 78.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.