Geode Capital Management LLC Sells 3,728 Shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)

Geode Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 305,382 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,728 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.97% of HBT Financial worth $6,689,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in HBT Financial by 96.8% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 46,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,010,000 after buying an additional 22,682 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of HBT Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $7,111,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 4th quarter worth about $57,000. Sei Investments Co. purchased a new stake in HBT Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $242,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in HBT Financial by 11.0% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

HBT Financial Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HBT opened at $23.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The business’s 50 day moving average is $23.04 and its 200 day moving average is $23.05. The stock has a market cap of $755.98 million, a P/E ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 0.62. HBT Financial, Inc. has a 52-week low of $18.16 and a 52-week high of $26.25.

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

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on HBT. Piper Sandler cut their target price on HBT Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Hovde Group began coverage on HBT Financial in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $24.50 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, HBT Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.75.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 5,055 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.81, for a total transaction of $125,414.55. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 53,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,330,188.15. This represents a 8.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.77, for a total value of $198,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 182,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,508,140. This represents a 4.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,900 shares of company stock worth $969,500. Corporate insiders own 59.80% of the company’s stock.

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.