HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Hits New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $25.18 and last traded at $24.96, with a volume of 7852 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HBT has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on HBT Financial from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. DA Davidson lowered HBT Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on HBT Financial from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating and set a $27.00 price target (up from $25.00) on shares of HBT Financial in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, HBT Financial presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.40.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $783.00 million, a PE ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $22.07 and a 200-day moving average of $21.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 14.70% and a net margin of 24.68%. The company had revenue of $56.44 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.05 million. Equities analysts anticipate that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 4th. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.55%.

Institutional Trading of HBT Financial

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in HBT Financial in the third quarter valued at $122,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the first quarter worth about $183,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the third quarter worth about $251,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the third quarter worth about $295,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 3.8% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. 78.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.