Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

by · The Cerbat Gem

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD – Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The transportation company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.01, Zacks reports. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 4.37% and a negative net margin of 4.01%.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

NASDAQ HTLD opened at $11.08 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Heartland Express has a 1 year low of $6.99 and a 1 year high of $11.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $858.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.38 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $9.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.65.

Heartland Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -17.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on HTLD. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $12.00 target price on Heartland Express and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 target price on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $9.75.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Heartland Express

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 185.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,673 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 3,036 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Heartland Express by 51.3% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,549 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 3,918 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Heartland Express in the 2nd quarter worth about $118,000. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its stake in Heartland Express by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 14,504 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 1,517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Express in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $126,000. 53.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Heartland Express

(Get Free Report)

Heartland Express, Inc (NASDAQ: HTLD) is a publicly traded truckload carrier headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa. The company specializes in full truckload transportation, offering dry-van services that connect shippers with customers across the continental United States. Its primary focus is on over-the-road freight movements, serving industries such as manufacturing, retail, and consumer goods.

Founded in 1978 as Heartland Motor Freight, the company has grown from a regional carrier into one of the larger U.S.

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