Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Aug 26th, 2026

Shares of Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD – Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $12.78 and traded as high as $12.98. Heartland Express shares last traded at $12.51, with a volume of 579,807 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HTLD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.00.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on Heartland Express

Heartland Express Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $958.12 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.25 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $13.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.78.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 2.98% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. The company had revenue of $152.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $185.08 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.14) earnings per share. Heartland Express’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.19 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Express

In other Heartland Express news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.67, for a total value of $492,069.34. Following the sale, the director owned 28,387 shares in the company, valued at approximately $444,824.29. This represents a 52.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Heartland Express

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Heartland Express by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,708 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Express during the first quarter worth about $133,000. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in Heartland Express during the 1st quarter worth about $907,000. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new position in Heartland Express during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $462,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Heartland Express by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 126,736 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,262 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

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.