StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD)

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD – Get Rating) in a research note released on Thursday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the transportation company’s stock.

HTLD has been the subject of a number of other reports. TheStreet upgraded Heartland Express from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report on Monday, December 5th. Barclays increased their price objective on Heartland Express from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Heartland Express from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $16.17.

Heartland Express Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLD traded down $0.57 during trading on Thursday, hitting $15.76. 736,420 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 218,027. The business’s 50 day moving average is $16.46 and its 200-day moving average is $15.66. The company has a market capitalization of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.33 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Heartland Express has a 1-year low of $12.78 and a 1-year high of $18.17.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 3rd. The transportation company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $354.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $332.23 million. Heartland Express had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 13.80%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 138.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Heartland Express will post 1.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 27th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.73%.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Express

In related news, major shareholder Ann S. Gerdin Revocable Trust acquired 2,152 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $15.99 per share, with a total value of $34,410.48. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,410.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Michael J. Gerdin acquired 8,421 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $15.99 per share, with a total value of $134,651.79. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 18,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $300,244.23. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Ann S. Gerdin Revocable Trust acquired 2,152 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $15.99 per share, for a total transaction of $34,410.48. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,152 shares in the company, valued at $34,410.48. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 53,602 shares of company stock valued at $848,060 in the last 90 days. 39.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Express

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTLD. Norges Bank bought a new position in Heartland Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,171,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new position in Heartland Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,823,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Heartland Express by 745.0% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 176,935 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,532,000 after acquiring an additional 155,995 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Heartland Express by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 437,415 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,084,000 after acquiring an additional 155,263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Heartland Express by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 408,548 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,267,000 after acquiring an additional 151,385 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 54.76% of the company’s stock.

Heartland Express Company Profile

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Heartland Express, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of short-to-medium haul truckload carrier services. It offers long haul truckload and regional truckload transportation. The company was founded by Russell A. Gerdin in 1978 and is headquartered in North Liberty, IA.