HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Chairman Fred L. Drake Sells 10,000 Shares

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.38, for a total value of $243,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 58,670 shares in the company, valued at $1,430,374.60. This trade represents a 14.56 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ HBT traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $24.32. The stock had a trading volume of 78,955 shares, compared to its average volume of 31,308. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.85 and a 200 day moving average of $22.49. The stock has a market cap of $767.54 million, a P/E ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 0.88. HBT Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.75 and a 52-week high of $25.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.04. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 24.99%. Sell-side analysts predict that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current year.

HBT Financial announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $15.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 4th. This is a positive change from HBT Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on HBT shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on HBT Financial from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on HBT Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $24.80.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HBT. FMR LLC boosted its position in HBT Financial by 70.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,329 shares of the company's stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,784 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $122,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $251,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,605 shares of the company's stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $295,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.55% of the company's stock.

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.