Overview

* HBT Financial ( HBT ) Q2 adjusted EPS of $0.63 beats analyst expectations

* Adjusted net income of $19.8 mln surpasses estimates

* Net interest margin rose to 4.14% due to improved yields and lower costs

Outlook

* HBT Financial, the holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Co, expects loan growth to return in Q3 2025

* HBT Financial ( HBT ) prepared for varied economic and interest rate environments

* Company's capital levels support acquisition opportunities

* HBT Financial sees fewer loan payoffs projected in Q3 2025

Result Drivers

* NET INTEREST MARGIN - Increased to 4.14% due to improved yields on debt securities and lower funding costs

* LOAN PAYDOWNS - Seasonal paydowns and property sales led to a decrease in loan balances, expected to recover in Q3

* ASSET QUALITY - Maintained strong asset quality with nonperforming assets at 0.13% of total assets

Key Details

Metric Beat/Mis Actual Consensu

s s

Estimate

Q2 Beat $0.63 $0.6 (5

Adjusted Analysts

EPS )

Q2 EPS $0.61

Q2 Beat $19.80 $19 mln

Adjusted mln (5

Net Analysts

Income )

Q2 Net $19.23

Income mln

Q2 Net $49.66

Interest mln

Income

Analyst Coverage

* The current average analyst rating on the shares is "buy" and the breakdown of recommendations is 3 "strong buy" or "buy", 2 "hold" and no "sell" or "strong sell"

* The average consensus recommendation for the banks peer group is "buy"

* Wall Street's median 12-month price target for HBT Financial Inc ( HBT ) is $26.00, about 2.7% above its July 18 closing price of $25.31

* The stock recently traded at 10 times the next 12-month earnings vs. a P/E of 10 three months ago

Press Release:

(This story was created using Reuters automation and AI based on LSEG and company data. It was checked and edited by a Reuters journalist prior to publication.)