HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Sees Large Volume Increase - Time to Buy?

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Monday . 57,766 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 78% from the previous session's volume of 32,391 shares.The stock last traded at $21.24 and had previously closed at $21.51.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HBT shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of HBT Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Hovde Group started coverage on HBT Financial in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $24.50 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $24.75.

HBT Financial Trading Up 0.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $695.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50-day moving average of $23.18 and a 200-day moving average of $22.99.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 14.57%. As a group, research analysts forecast that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This is an increase from HBT Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 4th. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.77, for a total value of $198,160.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 182,000 shares in the company, valued at $4,508,140. The trade was a 4.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 5,055 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.81, for a total value of $125,414.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 53,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,330,188.15. This trade represents a 8.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,900 shares of company stock valued at $969,500 over the last three months. 59.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HBT. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $264,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in HBT Financial by 4,457.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the company's stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 2,630 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in HBT Financial by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 37,000 shares of the company's stock worth $810,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in HBT Financial by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 35,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $768,000 after purchasing an additional 3,227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 65.9% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 43,126 shares of the company's stock valued at $944,000 after buying an additional 17,130 shares in the last quarter. 78.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.