Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The transportation company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.02 by ($0.01), Zacks reports. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 0.92% and a negative net margin of 2.98%.

Heartland Express Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of HTLD traded down $0.17 on Tuesday, reaching $10.36. The stock had a trading volume of 94,234 shares, compared to its average volume of 601,046. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.58. Heartland Express has a 12-month low of $6.99 and a 12-month high of $16.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $800.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.97 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.08.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HTLD shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group raised their target price on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $12.00 price objective (down from $16.00) on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Tuesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $12.40.

About Heartland Express

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.