Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) Stock Rated “Reduce” by Sell-Side Analysts

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $11.80.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HTLD shares. Wall Street Zen cut Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. Zacks Research cut shares of Heartland Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Heartland Express from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Monday, November 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Express

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HTLD. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Express in the 2nd quarter valued at $104,523,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 5.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,873,653 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,285,000 after buying an additional 201,151 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in Heartland Express by 1,238.0% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,175,073 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,250,000 after buying an additional 2,012,509 shares during the last quarter. Wallace Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Heartland Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $14,687,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Heartland Express by 135.7% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 843,895 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,798,000 after acquiring an additional 485,890 shares in the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Heartland Express Price Performance

NASDAQ:HTLD traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $10.47. The stock had a trading volume of 328,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 640,121. The stock has a market capitalization of $805.77 million, a P/E ratio of -65.44 and a beta of 1.39. Heartland Express has a 1-year low of $6.99 and a 1-year high of $16.64. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.28.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The transportation company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.02). Heartland Express had a positive return on equity of 0.30% and a negative net margin of 1.77%. The firm had revenue of $146.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.38 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Heartland Express will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 25th were paid a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 25th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -50.00%.

Heartland Express Company Profile

Heartland Express, Inc. is a truckload transportation company headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa. The company provides freight services primarily using dry-van equipment, moving goods for shippers across a range of industries. Founded in 1978, Heartland Express has expanded through acquisitions and operates under brands that include Heartland Express, CFI, Millis Transfer and Smith Transport. Its services include regional and long-haul transportation, with operations serving customers across the United States and cross-border markets in North America.