Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) Receives $13.20 Consensus PT from Analysts

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, one has assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $13.40.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HTLD shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target 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. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st.

Heartland Express Price Performance

Shares of HTLD opened at $12.29 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Heartland Express has a twelve month low of $6.99 and a twelve month high of $16.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $952.35 million, a P/E ratio of -43.89 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $14.48 and a 200-day moving average of $12.65.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $0.14 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $185.08 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.14) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Heartland Express will post 0.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Heartland Express

In related news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.67, for a total transaction of $492,069.34. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 28,387 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $444,824.29. The trade was a 52.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Express

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Express during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Heartland Express by 76.7% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,905 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,261 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 185.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,673 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 3,036 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Heartland Express by 51.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,549 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 3,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 18.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,525 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 999 shares during the period. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Heartland Express

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.