Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, Zacks reports. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 3.70% and a negative net margin of 5.69%.The firm had revenue of $184.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $185.08 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.14) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Heartland Express Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of Heartland Express stock opened at $12.73 on Friday. Heartland Express has a fifty-two week low of $6.99 and a fifty-two week high of $16.64. The business’s fifty day moving average is $14.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $986.45 million, a PE ratio of -22.73 and a beta of 1.31.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.02 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 23rd. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio is currently -14.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on HTLD. UBS Group raised their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research raised Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.80.

Insider Activity at Heartland Express

In related news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.67, for a total value of $492,069.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 28,387 shares in the company, valued at approximately $444,824.29. This represents a 52.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jump Financial LLC increased its holdings in Heartland Express by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,252 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 4.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,708 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 126,736 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after buying an additional 1,262 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its position in Heartland Express by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 14,504 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 1,517 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

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.