HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Stock Rating Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Zacks reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on HBT. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $41.00 price target (up from $38.00) on shares of HBT Financial in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of HBT Financial from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of HBT Financial from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on HBT Financial from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Hovde Group raised their price target on HBT Financial from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.40.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

NASDAQ HBT opened at $35.69 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 0.51. HBT Financial has a 52-week low of $22.36 and a 52-week high of $37.51. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $35.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.05. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 13.46% and a net margin of 23.44%.The firm had revenue of $80.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.36 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that HBT Financial will post 3.01 earnings per share for the current year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is a boost from HBT Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HBT Financial

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HBT. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in HBT Financial during the second quarter worth about $147,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $240,000. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 1st quarter worth approximately $241,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in HBT Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial in the second quarter worth $285,000. 78.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About HBT Financial

HBT Financial, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois. Through its principal subsidiary, Heartland Bank and Trust Company, the company provides banking and financial services to individuals, families, businesses and agricultural customers.

Heartland Bank offers deposit accounts, residential and commercial real estate lending, consumer loans, commercial lending, agricultural financing and treasury management services. Its other services include wealth management, trust and investment services, online and mobile banking, and insurance-related products.

The company serves communities primarily across central, eastern and western Illinois through a network of banking locations and digital channels.