HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Hits New 52-Week High - What's Next?

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $25.52 and last traded at $25.41, with a volume of 60140 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

HBT Financial Stock Down 2.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $786.48 million, a P/E ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 0.89. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $22.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.54.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. This is a boost from HBT Financial's previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. HBT Financial's payout ratio is presently 37.17%.

HBT Financial declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 18th that authorizes the company to buyback $15.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.77, for a total transaction of $198,160.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 182,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,508,140. This represents a 4.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 10,000 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.38, for a total value of $243,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 58,670 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,430,374.60. This trade represents a 14.56 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 37,553 shares of company stock worth $919,360. Insiders own 59.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 13.6% in the fourth 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. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in HBT Financial by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 20,758 shares of the company's stock valued at $455,000 after buying an additional 1,711 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 70.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,329 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 1,784 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 0.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 309,110 shares of the company's stock worth $6,764,000 after buying an additional 1,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 105,353 shares of the company's stock worth $2,307,000 after buying an additional 2,210 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.