HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTBI) Short Interest Up 44.2% in June

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTBI) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 62,300 shares, a growth of 44.2% from the May 31st total of 43,200 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 32,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of HomeTrust Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $30.00.

HomeTrust Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ HTBI traded down $0.07 on Monday, reaching $29.96. The stock had a trading volume of 70,392 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,497. The stock has a market cap of $522.50 million, a P/E ratio of 8.67 and a beta of 0.82. HomeTrust Bancshares has a 12-month low of $19.37 and a 12-month high of $30.99. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $27.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.12.

HomeTrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $50.04 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $47.66 million. HomeTrust Bancshares had a net margin of 20.87% and a return on equity of 11.86%.

HomeTrust Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. HomeTrust Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HomeTrust Bancshares

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTBI. AMG National Trust Bank increased its stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares by 237.3% during the fourth quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 239,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,447,000 after acquiring an additional 168,469 shares during the period. EJF Capital LLC boosted its holdings in HomeTrust Bancshares by 185.6% in the 1st quarter. EJF Capital LLC now owns 116,624 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,188,000 after purchasing an additional 75,789 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in HomeTrust Bancshares by 26.7% during the 1st quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 95,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,597,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares during the period. BHZ Capital Management LP grew its holdings in HomeTrust Bancshares by 43.9% during the fourth quarter. BHZ Capital Management LP now owns 59,477 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,601,000 after acquiring an additional 18,156 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares in the first quarter worth $323,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.94% of the company’s stock.

About HomeTrust Bancshares

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for HomeTrust Bank that provides a range of retail and commercial banking products and services. The company's deposit products include savings, money market, noninterest-bearing, and interest-bearing checking accounts, as well as certificates of deposit for individuals, business, and nonprofit organizations.