Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) Stock Has Average Price Target of $12.40

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $12.40.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HTLD shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. UBS Group raised their target price on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Monday, September 21st.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTLD opened at $10.53 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $11.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.08. Heartland Express has a 12 month low of $6.99 and a 12 month high of $16.64. 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 market cap of $814.28 million, a P/E ratio of -37.61 and a beta of 1.35.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $152.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $185.08 million. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 2.98% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. The firm’s revenue was down 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.14) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Heartland Express will post 0.13 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 25th were issued a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 25th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Heartland Express’s payout ratio is -28.57%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Express

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Express during the second quarter worth $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Heartland Express during the third quarter worth about $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 18.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,525 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 999 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position 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 worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 10,466 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in Heartland Express in the second quarter valued at $165,000. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Heartland Express Company Profile

Heartland Express, Inc (NASDAQ: HTLD) is a transportation and logistics company that provides truckload freight services across North America. Its operations primarily involve the over-the-road movement of general, non-refrigerated freight using dry van equipment.

The company offers irregular-route and dedicated transportation services to shippers, along with logistics and related freight solutions. Heartland Express serves customers throughout the contiguous United States and, through its broader network, supports cross-border freight movements involving Canada and Mexico.

Founded in 1978 by Russell Gerdin, the company is headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa.