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 research note released on Sunday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of HTLF stock opened at $67.72 on Friday. Heartland Financial USA has a 12-month low of $29.67 and a 12-month high of $70.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $60.35 and a 200-day moving average of $52.66. The company has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.97 and a beta of 0.94.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 8.79%. The firm had revenue of $272.79 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total transaction of $1,537,200.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 60,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,136,161.12. This represents a 27.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total value of $29,047.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,274.40. This represents a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. USA Financial Formulas lifted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $83,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,775 shares of the bank’s stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 2,654 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $225,000. 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.