Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a report released on Friday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

Heartland Financial USA stock opened at $64.67 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $64.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 0.98. Heartland Financial USA has a fifty-two week low of $32.33 and a fifty-two week high of $70.27.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total transaction of $392,591.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,420.28. This trade represents a 45.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTLF. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA in the 4th quarter worth $53,132,000. Westchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in Heartland Financial USA by 72.7% in the 4th quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC now owns 1,006,891 shares of the bank’s stock worth $61,727,000 after purchasing an additional 424,011 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in Heartland Financial USA by 99.4% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 314,348 shares of the bank’s stock worth $19,271,000 after purchasing an additional 156,699 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Heartland Financial USA by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,601,683 shares of the bank’s stock worth $98,191,000 after purchasing an additional 145,255 shares during the period. Finally, Credit Industriel ET Commercial purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA in the 4th quarter worth $4,904,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Company Profile

Heartland Financial USA, Inc, a bank holding company, provides commercial, small business, and consumer banking services to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking, demand deposit accounts, NOW accounts, savings, money market, and individual retirement; certificates of deposit; and other time deposits.