Heartland Express, Inc. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.02 (NASDAQ:HTLD)

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 25th will be paid a dividend of 0.02 per share by the transportation company on Wednesday, October 7th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 25th.

Heartland Express has a dividend payout ratio of 22.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Heartland Express to earn $0.53 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.08 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 15.1%.

Heartland Express Stock Up 0.6%

HTLD stock opened at $12.52 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $13.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $968.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -44.71 and a beta of 1.33. Heartland Express has a fifty-two week low of $6.99 and a fifty-two week high of $16.64. 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 (NASDAQ:HTLD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share (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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.14) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Heartland Express will post 0.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HTLD shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays cut their price target on Heartland Express from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Heartland Express presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $13.00.

Heartland Express Company Profile

Heartland Express, Inc is a transportation and logistics company that provides asset-based truckload services in North America. The company primarily operates a fleet of dry van tractors and trailers, transporting general freight that does not require temperature control.

Its services include irregular-route and regional truckload transportation, dedicated freight, expedited shipping, and logistics support. Heartland Express serves customers across the United States and also provides cross-border transportation involving Canada and Mexico.

Founded in 1978, the company is headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa.