Head-To-Head Comparison: Ballston Spa Bancorp (OTCMKTS:BSPA) and HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT)

Ballston Spa Bancorp (OTCMKTS:BSPA) and HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership and dividends.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

2.4% of Ballston Spa Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 78.6% of HBT Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. 59.8% of HBT Financial shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Ballston Spa Bancorp and HBT Financial”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ballston Spa Bancorp	$36.16 million	1.45	$4.78 million	N/A	N/A
HBT Financial	$287.27 million	2.78	$71.78 million	$2.42	10.46

HBT Financial has higher revenue and earnings than Ballston Spa Bancorp.

Risk and Volatility

Ballston Spa Bancorp has a beta of -0.2, meaning that its share price is 120% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, HBT Financial has a beta of 0.66, meaning that its share price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Ballston Spa Bancorp and HBT Financial’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ballston Spa Bancorp	N/A	N/A	N/A
HBT Financial	26.22%	13.98%	1.55%

Dividends

Ballston Spa Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. HBT Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. HBT Financial pays out 34.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. HBT Financial has raised its dividend for 5 consecutive years. HBT Financial is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Ballston Spa Bancorp and HBT Financial, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ballston Spa Bancorp	0	0	0	0	0.00
HBT Financial	0	3	3	0	2.50

HBT Financial has a consensus target price of $28.80, suggesting a potential upside of 13.74%. Given HBT Financial’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe HBT Financial is more favorable than Ballston Spa Bancorp.

Summary

HBT Financial beats Ballston Spa Bancorp on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ballston Spa Bancorp

Ballston Spa Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for Ballston Spa National Bank that provides a range of banking, financing, fiduciary, brokerage, and other financial services to corporate, municipal, and individual customers in the United States. It offers checking, money market, savings, health savings, and individual retirement accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; loan products, such as mortgage and home construction, improvement, and equity loans, auto, boat, RV, personal, commercial, and small business loans, as well as lines of credit and government programs; and debits and credit cards. The company also provides personal investment services, which include annuities, college savings plans, mutual funds, and life and long term care insurance products; retirement plans; college planning services; investment and asset management; trusteeship; estate settlement; special needs and disability trusts; and wealth management services. In addition, the company offers treasury management services; and merchant and payment processing services, as well as online and mobile banking, and digital payments. The company was founded in 1838 and is based in Ballston Spa, New York.

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. Its loan offering comprises owner and non-owner occupied commercial real estate; construction and land development and multi-family; commercial and industrial; agricultural and farmland; and one-to-four family residential loans, as well as municipal, consumer, and other loans. The company also offers wealth management services, including financial planning to consumers, trusts, and estates; trustee and custodial; investment management; corporate retirement plan consulting and administration; and retail brokerage services. In addition, it provides farmland management, and farmland sales and services; commercial checking accounts; and treasury management services, as well as originates and sells residential mortgage loans. Further, the company offers digital banking services, such as online and mobile banking, and digital payment services, as well as personal financial management tools. The company was formerly known as Heartland Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to HBT Financial, Inc. in September 2019. HBT Financial, Inc. was founded in 1920 and is headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois.