Geode Capital Management LLC Has $6.76 Million Position in HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) by 0.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 309,110 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,989 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in HBT Financial were worth $6,764,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of HBT Financial by 70.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 1,784 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in HBT Financial in the third quarter valued at approximately $122,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in HBT Financial in the third quarter worth $251,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the third quarter worth $295,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of HBT Financial by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,605 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at HBT Financial

In other news, Chairman Fred L. Drake sold 2,500 shares of HBT Financial stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.11, for a total value of $60,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 71,170 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,715,908.70. This trade represents a 3.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,498 shares of company stock valued at $351,985. 59.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

HBT Financial Stock Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ:HBT opened at $21.69 on Friday. HBT Financial, Inc. 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 50-day simple moving average of $23.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.10. The company has a market cap of $684.54 million, a PE ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 0.87.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The company reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $56.44 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $57.05 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.68% and a return on equity of 14.70%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 18th that permits the company to repurchase $15.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

HBT Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 4th were issued a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. HBT Financial’s payout ratio is 34.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. DA Davidson downgraded HBT Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $24.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on HBT Financial from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of HBT Financial from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $24.40.

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.