HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

Shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 15,194 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 47% from the previous session’s volume of 28,531 shares.The stock last traded at $23.84 and had previously closed at $24.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of 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 downgraded HBT Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $27.00 target price (up previously from $25.00) on shares of HBT Financial in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of HBT Financial from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, HBT Financial currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $24.40.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market cap of $751.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.24.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $56.44 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $57.05 million. Analysts expect that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.55%.

Institutional Trading of HBT Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of HBT Financial by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 309,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,764,000 after acquiring an additional 1,989 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of 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. State Street Corp raised its stake in HBT Financial by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 251,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,501,000 after acquiring an additional 3,874 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its position in HBT Financial by 23.2% during the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 29,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $650,000 after purchasing an additional 5,600 shares during the period. Finally, FMR LLC raised its position in shares of HBT Financial by 70.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,784 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.