HomeTrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTBI) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $38.96 and last traded at $38.85, with a volume of 33474 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $37.68.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HTBI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $39.00 price objective (up from $38.00) on shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Raymond James lowered HomeTrust Bancshares from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th.

HomeTrust Bancshares Stock Up 1.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $670.87 million, a PE ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $34.69 and its 200 day moving average is $32.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.11.

HomeTrust Bancshares (NASDAQ:HTBI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($0.04). HomeTrust Bancshares had a return on equity of 10.41% and a net margin of 18.53%. The company had revenue of $74.93 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $50.13 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HomeTrust Bancshares Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This is a positive change from HomeTrust Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. HomeTrust Bancshares’s payout ratio is 15.19%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HomeTrust Bancshares

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTBI. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares by 28.4% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $222,000. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 3rd quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Creative Planning purchased a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares during the 3rd quarter valued at $266,000. 60.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.