Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Stock Rating Reaffirmed as Neutral by Robert W. Baird

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a $12.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock, down from their prior price target of $16.00. Robert W. Baird’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 16.91% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Heartland Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $12.40.

Heartland Express Price Performance

Heartland Express stock traded down $0.27 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.26. The company had a trading volume of 76,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 601,029. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.08. Heartland Express has a 1-year low of $6.99 and a 1-year high of $16.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $793.72 million, a PE ratio of -36.68 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $152.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $185.08 million. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 2.98% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. Heartland Express’s quarterly revenue was down 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.14) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Heartland Express will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Express

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 18.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,525 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 999 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Heartland Express during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP boosted its position in Heartland Express by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 27,476 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $418,000 after acquiring an additional 3,165 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Heartland Express during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Heartland Express by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 222,049 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,309,000 after acquiring an additional 4,313 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

About Heartland Express

Heartland Express, Inc (NASDAQ: HTLD) is a transportation and logistics company that provides truckload freight services across North America. Its operations primarily involve the over-the-road movement of general, non-refrigerated freight using dry van equipment.

The company offers irregular-route and dedicated transportation services to shippers, along with logistics and related freight solutions. Heartland Express serves customers throughout the contiguous United States and, through its broader network, supports cross-border freight movements involving Canada and Mexico.

Founded in 1978 by Russell Gerdin, the company is headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa.