HBT Financial to Acquire Tri-County Financial Group in $204.6M Deal, Expanding Illinois Footprint
HBT sits 63% above its 52-week low of $22.36.
Summary
HBT Financial announces a definitive agreement to acquire Tri-County Financial Group for $204.6 million in cash and stock, adding $1.6 billion in assets and expanding its Illinois footprint. The deal is expected to be 11.1% accretive to EPS in the first full year with cost savings and close in Q1 2027.
Key Events · M&A and Partnerships · HBT
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Definitive Merger Agreement Signed
HBT Financial entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tri-County Financial Group (TYFG) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at approximately $204.6 million, based on HBT's closing price of $36.35 on August 7, 2026.
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Consideration and Ownership
TYFG stockholders can elect 2.4589 HBT shares or $71.01 cash per TYFG share, with aggregate cash capped at $59.9 million and approximately 3.8 million new HBT shares to be issued, resulting in pro forma ownership of ~91% HBT / ~9% TYFG.
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Financial Impact and Accretion
The transaction is expected to be 11.1% accretive to EPS in the first full year with cost savings, with tangible book value dilution of 2.4% at closing and an earnback period of less than one year using the crossover method.
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Strategic Rationale and Scale
The merger adds $1.6 billion in assets, $1.3 billion in loans, and $1.3 billion in deposits, creating a combined entity with $8.3 billion in assets and strengthening HBT's presence in central and northern Illinois.
Analysis · HBT · Finance
HBT Financial enters a definitive agreement to acquire Tri-County Financial Group (TYFG) in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $204.6 million. The transaction adds $1.6 billion in assets, $1.3 billion in loans, and $1.3 billion in deposits, creating a combined entity with $8.3 billion in assets. TYFG shareholders can elect 2.4589 HBT shares or $71.01 cash per TYFG share, with aggregate cash capped at $59.9 million and approximately 3.8 million new HBT shares to be issued. The deal is expected to close in Q1 2027, pending regulatory and TYFG stockholder approvals. HBT projects 11.1% EPS accretion in the first full year with cost savings and tangible book value dilution of 2.4% at closing, with an earnback period of less than one year. The merger strengthens HBT's presence in central and northern Illinois, complements the recent CNB acquisition, and brings a high-quality, low-cost deposit base. TYFG Chairman Thomas Prescott will join HBT's board, and CEO Kirk Ross will join as a senior officer, ensuring continuity. The transaction is strategically compelling and financially attractive, with a pay-to-trade ratio of 63% and a premium on core deposits of 4.9%.
How filings like this one have moved
In the 30 days to Oct 19, 2026, 43.2% of the 271 measured filings Wiseek scored 9 moved their stock by 5% or more by the next session's close. The median move was -0.30%. These are measured outcomes after filings of this importance, not a forecast for this one.
Measured one observation per ticker per day, after exclusions. Current figures: Filing Impact Tracker · open dataset
At the time of this filing, HBT was trading at $36.35 on NASDAQ in the Finance sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $1.3B. The 52-week trading range was $22.36 to $36.83. This filing was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 9 out of 10.