Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $9.75.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $12.00 price target on shares of Heartland Express and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research raised shares of Heartland Express from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 price objective on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Heartland Express from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Heartland Express from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

HTLD stock opened at $10.71 on Friday. Heartland Express has a twelve month low of $6.99 and a twelve month high of $12.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $829.49 million, a P/E ratio of -23.80 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s fifty day moving average is $9.12 and its 200-day moving average is $8.59.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The transportation company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11). Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 4.37% and a negative net margin of 4.01%.The business had revenue of $172.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $209.68 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Heartland Express will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HTLD. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased 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 worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Express during the first quarter worth about $133,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Heartland Express during the first quarter worth about $907,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Heartland Express in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $515,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Heartland Express by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 25,680 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $220,000 after buying an additional 1,751 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

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.