Home Bancorp (NASDAQ:HBCP) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Home Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:HBCP) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $70.71 and last traded at $70.66, with a volume of 93931 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HBCP shares. Piper Sandler downgraded Home Bancorp from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research cut Home Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Home Bancorp from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Hovde Group boosted their price target on Home Bancorp from $62.00 to $65.50 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.50.

Home Bancorp Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $553.97 million, a P/E ratio of 11.88 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business’s 50 day moving average is $65.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.20.

Home Bancorp (NASDAQ:HBCP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 20th. The bank reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.06. Home Bancorp had a net margin of 22.18% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The business had revenue of $38.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.37 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Home Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Bancorp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, May 4th were given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 4th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Home Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.84%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Daniel G. Guidry sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.01, for a total transaction of $65,010.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 63,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,129,370.19. This represents a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO David T. Kirkley sold 655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.80, for a total transaction of $41,134.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 5,064 shares in the company, valued at $318,019.20. This trade represents a 11.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,653 shares of company stock worth $359,063. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Home Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Home Bancorp by 116.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,430 shares of the bank’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the period. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP acquired a new position in shares of Home Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $202,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Home Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Mariner LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Bancorp in the 4th quarter worth $211,000. 49.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Home Bancorp

Home Bancorp, Inc is the bank holding company for The Home National Bank, a full-service financial institution headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. The company operates as a regional commercial bank serving individuals, small businesses and municipalities across Louisiana and East Texas. Through its network of branches and digital banking platforms, Home Bancorp offers a range of deposit and lending solutions designed to meet the needs of its local markets.

The company’s core offerings include retail deposit products such as checking, savings and money market accounts, as well as a variety of commercial and consumer lending services.