Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Shares of Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 600,676 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 47% from the previous session’s volume of 408,087 shares.The stock last traded at $11.44 and had previously closed at $11.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.75.

Heartland Express Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $888.23 million, a PE ratio of -30.58 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.85.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -21.62%.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Express

In other Heartland Express news, major shareholder Ann S. Gerdin Revocable Trust purchased 49,506 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average price of $12.24 per share, with a total value of $605,953.44. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 898,584 shares in the company, valued at $10,998,668.16. This trade represents a 5.83 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 39.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 243.2% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 241,755 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,981,000 after purchasing an additional 171,319 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 7.8% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 26,362 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $325,000 after buying an additional 1,913 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $316,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $305,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Heartland Express by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,340 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

Heartland Express Company Profile

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.