HBT Financial (NASDAQ:HBT) Has Re-Affirmed Its Dividend Of US$0.15

The board of HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBT) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.15 per share on the 17th of August. The dividend yield will be 3.7% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.

View our latest analysis for HBT Financial

HBT Financial's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. However, HBT Financial's earnings easily cover the dividend. As a result, a large proportion of what it earned was being reinvested back into the business.

Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to fall by 12.2% over the next year. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio could be 36%, which we consider to be quite comfortable, with most of the company's earnings left over to grow the business in the future.

HBT Financial Is Still Building Its Track Record

Without a track record of dividend payments, we can't make a judgement on how stable it has been. This doesn't mean that the company can't pay a good dividend, but just that we want to wait until it can prove itself.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. However, things aren't all that rosy. HBT Financial's EPS has fallen by approximately 10% per year during the past five years. A sharp decline in earnings per share is not great from from a dividend perspective. Even conservative payout ratios can come under pressure if earnings fall far enough.

In Summary

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for HBT Financial (of which 1 is significant!) you should know about. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high performing dividend stock.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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