HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $23.86, but opened at $21.68. HBT Financial shares last traded at $23.53, with a volume of 1,788 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on HBT. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of HBT Financial from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. DA Davidson lowered shares of HBT Financial from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $26.00 to $24.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $24.40.

HBT Financial Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $753.65 million, a PE ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $22.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.31.

HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The company reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $56.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $57.05 million. HBT Financial had a net margin of 24.68% and a return on equity of 14.70%. As a group, research analysts predict that HBT Financial, Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HBT Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 4th were given a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 4th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.18%. HBT Financial’s payout ratio is presently 34.55%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HBT Financial

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC grew 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 acquired a new stake in shares of HBT Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $122,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of HBT Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $251,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of HBT Financial in the third quarter worth $295,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of HBT Financial by 3.8% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 14,605 shares of the company’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.55% of the company’s stock.

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.