Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $7.98 and last traded at $8.07, with a volume of 80007 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Barclays decreased their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $629.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.68 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $9.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.97.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The transportation company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.02. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 2.84% and a negative return on equity of 3.57%. Sell-side analysts predict that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $0.02 per share. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 25th. Heartland Express’s payout ratio is -21.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Heartland Express by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 66,459 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $613,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 149.2% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 48,681 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $449,000 after acquiring an additional 29,145 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Heartland Express by 173.8% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,719 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,726 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Heartland Express by 317.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,236 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 2,460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the 4th quarter valued at about $311,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

About Heartland Express

Heartland Express, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a short-to-medium, and long-haul truckload carrier in the United States and Canada. It primarily provides nationwide asset-based dry van truckload service for shippers; cross-border freight and other transportation services; and temperature-controlled truckload services.