HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Here’s What Happened

Shares of HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NYSE:HTB) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 308,395 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 214% from the previous session’s volume of 98,178 shares.The stock last traded at $47.4950 and had previously closed at $47.80.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on HTB. Hovde Group increased their price target on shares of HomeTrust Bancshares from $46.50 to $47.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of HomeTrust Bancshares from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded HomeTrust Bancshares from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “outperform” rating on shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $47.00.

HomeTrust Bancshares Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $49.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.13. The company has a market cap of $783.18 million, a P/E ratio of 12.32 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.05. HomeTrust Bancshares had a net margin of 22.50% and a return on equity of 10.88%. The business had revenue of $54.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $53.22 million. Equities analysts anticipate that HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. will post 3.76 EPS for the current year.

HomeTrust Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. HomeTrust Bancshares’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.75%.

Insider Activity at HomeTrust Bancshares

In other news, Director Laura C. Kendall sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.13, for a total transaction of $511,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 24,229 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,238,828.77. This represents a 29.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kristin Y. Powell sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total value of $46,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,010,214.10. The trade was a 4.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 11.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of HomeTrust Bancshares

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HTB. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in HomeTrust Bancshares during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. California State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at $91,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at $105,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares during the 2nd quarter worth $147,000. Institutional investors own 60.94% of the company’s stock.

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.