Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Shares of Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the seven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $12.20.

HTLD has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Heartland Express from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $12.00 price target on Heartland Express in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Barclays raised their price target on Heartland Express from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 76.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,905 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 185.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,673 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 3,737.9% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 10,746 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 10,466 shares during the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Heartland Express Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLD opened at $14.35 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $11.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $10.33. Heartland Express has a twelve month low of $6.99 and a twelve month high of $14.45. The company has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.62 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The transportation company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.07. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 3.70% and a negative net margin of 5.69%.The company had revenue of $153.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.18) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 19.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Heartland Express will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current year.

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.