HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:HTB) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $51.00 and last traded at $49.0210, with a volume of 376 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $49.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on HTB. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of HomeTrust Bancshares from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Hovde Group raised their price objective on shares of HomeTrust Bancshares from $46.50 to $47.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.00.

HomeTrust Bancshares Trading Down 0.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $47.26. The firm has a market cap of $823.44 million, a PE ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 0.80.

HomeTrust Bancshares Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. This is a boost from HomeTrust Bancshares’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. HomeTrust Bancshares’s payout ratio is presently 15.50%.

Insider Activity at HomeTrust Bancshares

In other news, CEO Hunter Westbrook sold 31,022 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.81, for a total transaction of $1,421,117.82. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 105,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,847,980.68. The trade was a 22.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kristin Y. Powell sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total transaction of $46,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,010,214.10. This trade represents a 4.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 61,000 shares of company stock worth $2,794,550. Company insiders own 11.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth about $1,125,000. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares in the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Royal Bank of Canada bought a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares during the first quarter valued at approximately $153,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares during the first quarter valued at approximately $3,255,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in HomeTrust Bancshares in the first quarter valued at approximately $467,000. 60.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HomeTrust Bancshares Company Profile

HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc is the bank holding company for HomeTrust Bank, a regional community bank that provides a range of commercial and consumer banking services. Through its subsidiary bank, the company offers traditional deposit and lending products, including checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, residential mortgages, home equity lending, and business loans. HomeTrust also delivers treasury management and payment services for small and midsize businesses, along with digital banking tools to support day-to-day account access and payments.

The company’s product set extends beyond core banking to include wealth management and trust services, commercial real estate financing, and specialized lending for agriculture and construction where relevant to local markets.