Heartland Express, Inc. $HTLD Shares Purchased by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) by 173.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 106,364 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,470 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned about 0.14% of Heartland Express worth $1,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTLD. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Heartland Express by 4.4% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,708 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Express during the 1st quarter worth about $133,000. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Express during the 1st quarter worth about $907,000. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new position in Heartland Express in the 2nd quarter valued at about $462,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Heartland Express by 1.0% in 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 in the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of Heartland Express stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.67, for a total value of $492,069.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 28,387 shares in the company, valued at approximately $444,824.29. This trade represents a 52.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Heartland Express Trading Up 4.2%

NASDAQ HTLD opened at $12.29 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $952.35 million, a P/E ratio of -43.89 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $14.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.65. Heartland Express, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.99 and a 12 month high of $16.64.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 2.98% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. The business had revenue of $152.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $185.08 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.14) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HTLD has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.40.

Heartland Express Company Profile

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.