JPMorgan Chase & Co. Grows Stock Holdings in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT - Free Report) by 96.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,109 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,682 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 0.15% of HBT Financial worth $1,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LPL Financial LLC bought a new position in HBT Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $7,111,000. Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of HBT Financial by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 332,753 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,287,000 after acquiring an additional 32,146 shares during the period. Hickory Point Bank & Trust purchased a new position in HBT Financial during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $438,000. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in HBT Financial by 43.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 57,000 shares of the company's stock worth $1,247,000 after acquiring an additional 17,266 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in HBT Financial by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 133,206 shares of the company's stock worth $2,917,000 after purchasing an additional 13,250 shares in the last quarter. 78.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HBT opened at $23.40 on Monday. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $18.16 and a fifty-two week high of $26.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $23.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.09. The firm has a market cap of $740.17 million, a PE ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 0.62.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $63.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.57 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 14.57%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.57 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current year.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. HBT Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HBT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on 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 began coverage on HBT Financial in a report 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 issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $24.75.

Insider Transactions at HBT Financial

In other HBT Financial news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,140. This represents a 4.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 5,055 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 53,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,330,188.15. The trade was a 8.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 38,900 shares of company stock worth $969,500. 59.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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