HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT – Get Rating) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 81,500 shares, an increase of 5.8% from the February 13th total of 77,000 shares. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 39,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HBT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating on shares of HBT Financial in a report on Thursday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $19.50 to $19.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $21.50 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Patrick F. Busch sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.39, for a total value of $335,850.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 187,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,200,140.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 65.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of HBT Financial by 47.2% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of HBT Financial by 250.1% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,902 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 2,073 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in shares of HBT Financial by 4,313.5% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,928 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 3,839 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the fourth quarter worth about $106,000. Finally, Credit Suisse AG grew its position in shares of HBT Financial by 14,143.6% during the fourth quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 7,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $153,000 after buying an additional 7,779 shares in the last quarter. 25.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HBT Financial Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HBT opened at $20.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $643.64 million, a PE ratio of 9.58 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $21.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.96. HBT Financial has a 1 year low of $16.09 and a 1 year high of $23.49.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 25th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $50.07 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.74 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 32.21% and a return on equity of 16.06%. Analysts predict that HBT Financial will post 2.43 EPS for the current year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 6th. This is a positive change from HBT Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.16. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio is 32.54%.

About HBT Financial

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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. 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.