Patrick F. Busch Sells 8,000 Shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Stock

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) Director Patrick F. Busch sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.77, for a total value of $198,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 182,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,508,140. The trade was a 4.21 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HBT opened at $24.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $786.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. HBT Financial, Inc. has a 1-year low of $18.00 and a 1-year high of $26.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $22.91 and its 200 day moving average is $22.55.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.04. HBT Financial had a return on equity of 14.57% and a net margin of 24.99%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. This is a boost from HBT Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 4th. HBT Financial’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.17%.

HBT Financial declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 18th that permits the company to buyback $15.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HBT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on HBT Financial from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on HBT Financial from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in HBT Financial by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 105,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,307,000 after purchasing an additional 2,210 shares during the period. Hickory Point Bank & Trust purchased a new position in HBT Financial in the 4th quarter worth approximately $438,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in HBT Financial by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 20,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 1,711 shares during the period. Heartland Bank & Trust Co increased its stake in HBT Financial by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 91,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,010,000 after purchasing an additional 5,070 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in HBT Financial by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 756 shares during the period. 78.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.