Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD – Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.20.
A number of analysts have issued reports on HTLD shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 24th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $12.00 target price on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Friday, May 8th.
Read Our Latest Analysis on HTLD
Heartland Express Stock Down 2.9%
Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The transportation company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $153.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.30 million. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 5.69% and a negative return on equity of 3.70%. The company’s revenue was down 19.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.18) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Heartland Express will post 0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Heartland Express Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd will be issued a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 23rd. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Heartland Express’s payout ratio is -14.29%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Express
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 46.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 233,496 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,428,000 after purchasing an additional 74,078 shares during the period. Amundi purchased a new stake in Heartland Express in the 1st quarter valued at about $391,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in Heartland Express by 34.2% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 102,748 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,069,000 after buying an additional 26,157 shares during the period. Dean Capital Management boosted its position in Heartland Express by 78.3% in the 1st quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 244,083 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,538,000 after buying an additional 107,174 shares during the period. Finally, Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Heartland Express by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 330,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,440,000 after buying an additional 40,765 shares during the period. 53.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Heartland Express Company Profile
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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