Zacks Research Downgrades HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB) to Hold

HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also commented on HTB. Stephens boosted their price target on HomeTrust Bancshares from $55.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of HomeTrust Bancshares from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.00.

HomeTrust Bancshares Stock Performance

HTB opened at $46.43 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $774.93 million, a PE ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 0.81. HomeTrust Bancshares has a 1 year low of $38.30 and a 1 year high of $52.50. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

HomeTrust Bancshares (NYSE:HTB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $54.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $53.22 million. HomeTrust Bancshares had a net margin of 22.50% and a return on equity of 10.88%. Sell-side analysts forecast that HomeTrust Bancshares will post 3.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at HomeTrust Bancshares

In other news, Director Laura C. Kendall sold 10,000 shares of HomeTrust Bancshares stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.13, for a total value of $511,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 24,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,238,828.77. This trade represents a 29.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 11.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On HomeTrust Bancshares

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in HomeTrust Bancshares in the second quarter worth about $28,000. California State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares in the 1st quarter valued at about $91,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares during the 1st quarter worth approximately $105,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of HomeTrust Bancshares during the second quarter worth approximately $147,000. Institutional investors own 60.94% of the company’s stock.

About HomeTrust Bancshares

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.