Piper Sandler Issues Pessimistic Forecast for HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Stock Price

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from $27.00 to $26.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler’s target price points to a potential upside of 11.61% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of HBT Financial from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.80.

HBT Financial Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of HBT Financial stock traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $23.30. The company had a trading volume of 4,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 31,203. HBT Financial has a 52-week low of $17.75 and a 52-week high of $25.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $735.19 million, a P/E ratio of 10.31 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50 day moving average of $22.81 and a 200 day moving average of $22.36.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.04. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 14.57%. On average, equities analysts predict that HBT Financial will post 2.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 18th that authorizes the company to repurchase $15.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at HBT Financial

In other news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.86, for a total transaction of $52,492.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 91,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,182,474.20. This represents a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,498 shares of company stock worth $351,985. Insiders own 59.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HBT. FMR LLC lifted its position in HBT Financial by 70.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 1,784 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in HBT Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $122,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in HBT Financial in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $251,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in HBT Financial during the third quarter valued at approximately $295,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in HBT Financial by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the period. 78.55% of the stock is currently owned by 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.