HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Shares Up 4%

Shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) shot up 4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $18.89 and last traded at $18.89. 3,765 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 27,157 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.17.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on HBT Financial from $21.50 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $18.98 and a 200-day moving average of $19.32. The stock has a market cap of $585.47 million, a PE ratio of 8.90 and a beta of 0.86.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 16.93% and a net margin of 24.84%. The firm had revenue of $70.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.78 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.62 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.24 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 6th were given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 5th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.10%. This is an increase from HBT Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.54%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Roger A. Baker purchased 3,632 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.86 per share, for a total transaction of $68,499.52. Following the transaction, the director now owns 559,804 shares in the company, valued at $10,557,903.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Roger A. Baker bought 1,888 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $18.68 per share, with a total value of $35,267.84. Following the purchase, the director now owns 555,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,385,706.40. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Roger A. Baker acquired 3,632 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $18.86 per share, with a total value of $68,499.52. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 559,804 shares in the company, valued at $10,557,903.44. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders purchased 5,820 shares of company stock worth $109,417. Company insiders own 58.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in HBT Financial by 22.3% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,732,120 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,940,000 after acquiring an additional 316,042 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in HBT Financial by 34.1% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 263,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,202,000 after acquiring an additional 67,026 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in HBT Financial by 179.9% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 102,217 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,864,000 after acquiring an additional 65,700 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in HBT Financial by 35.1% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 212,910 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,198,000 after acquiring an additional 55,306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in HBT Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $1,010,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.