Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Reaches New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Shares of Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $14.22 and last traded at $14.2090, with a volume of 246835 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $13.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on HTLD shares. Wall Street Zen raised Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Heartland Express from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $12.00 price objective on Heartland Express in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $12.20.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $10.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last issued its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The transportation company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.07. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 3.70% and a negative net margin of 5.69%.The firm had revenue of $153.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.18) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 19.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Heartland Express

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HTLD. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Heartland Express by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,153,238 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,664,000 after acquiring an additional 485,658 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 150.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 799,491 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,700,000 after buying an additional 480,488 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Heartland Express by 91.0% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 812,248 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,807,000 after purchasing an additional 386,961 shares during the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Heartland Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,619,000. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Heartland Express by 90.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 529,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,782,000 after purchasing an additional 251,670 shares during the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.