BLOOMINGTON, Ill., Dec. 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HBT Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: HBT) (the “Company”), the holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Company and State Bank of Lincoln, today announced that it will be added as a member of the broad-market Russell 3000^® Index, effective December 23, 2019, according to a preliminary list of additions posted by FTSE Russell on November 29, 2019.

The Russell US indexes are comprised of the 4,000 largest US stocks, ranked by total market capitalization. Membership in the US all-cap Russell 3000^® Index means automatic inclusion in the large-cap Russell 1000^® Index or small-cap Russell 2000^® Index, as well as the appropriate growth and value style indexes. FTSE Russell determines membership for its Russell indexes by objective, market-capitalization rankings and style attributes.

“We are very pleased to be added to the Russell indexes,” said Fred L. Drake, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HBT Financial. “The Russell indexes are widely followed within the investment community, and we look forward to the increased liquidity in our stock and greater exposure to institutional investors that we will have as part of the indexes.”

The Russell US Indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for passive funds and investment products and as benchmarks for active investment strategies. Approximately $9 trillion in assets are benchmarked against Russell US Indexes. Russell US Indexes are part of FTSE Russell’s suite of index offerings.

More information on the Russell 3000^® Index can be found on the FTSE Russell website.

About HBT Financial, Inc.

HBT Financial, Inc. is headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois and is the holding company for Heartland Bank and Trust Company and State Bank of Lincoln. The banks provide a comprehensive suite of business, commercial, wealth management and retail banking products and services to businesses, families and local governments throughout Central and Northeastern Illinois through 64 branches. As of September 30, 2019, HBT had total assets of $3.2 billion, total loans of $2.2 billion, and total deposits of $2.7 billion. HBT is a longstanding Central Illinois company, with banking roots that can be traced back nearly 100 years.

Forward-Looking Statements

Readers should note that in addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meanings of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including but not limited to statements about the Company’s plans, objectives, future performance, goals and future earnings levels. These statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including changes in interest rates and other general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; changes in business plans as circumstances warrant; risks relating to acquisitions; and other risks detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers should note that the forward-looking statements included in this press release are not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will," "propose," "may," "plan," "seek," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" or "continue," or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements presented herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise.

CONTACT:
Matthew Keating
HBTIR@hbtbank.com
(310) 622-8230