Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $8.94 and traded as high as $11.65. Heartland Express shares last traded at $11.49, with a volume of 500,400 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HTLD. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $8.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 price target on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.00.

Heartland Express Trading Up 2.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $10.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $910.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.29 and a beta of 1.15.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The transportation company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.01. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 6.51% and a negative return on equity of 4.79%. The business had revenue of $179.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.12) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HTLD. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Heartland Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 76.7% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,905 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 185.5% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,673 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares in the last quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Express in the third quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Express in the third quarter valued at $89,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

About Heartland Express

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.