Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Buys 19,440 Shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) by 40.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,270 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 19,440 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in HBT Financial were worth $1,420,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in HBT Financial during the fourth quarter worth $1,010,000. Meredith Wealth Planning acquired a new stake in HBT Financial in the 4th quarter worth about $203,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in HBT Financial by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 2,418 shares during the period. 78.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of HBT Financial from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of HBT Financial from $21.00 to $21.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Roger A. Baker bought 3,632 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $18.86 per share, for a total transaction of $68,499.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 559,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,557,903.44. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders acquired a total of 5,032 shares of company stock worth $94,973 in the last ninety days. 59.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HBT opened at $18.98 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.82. HBT Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.33 and a 1 year high of $21.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $599.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.40 and a beta of 0.86.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.00%. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.63%.

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.