Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Announces Earnings Results

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, Zacks reports. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 5.69% and a negative return on equity of 3.70%. Heartland Express’s revenue was down 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.14) earnings per share.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HTLD traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $12.59. 398,174 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 558,288. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Heartland Express has a one year low of $6.99 and a one year high of $16.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $14.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.52. The firm has a market cap of $975.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.54 and a beta of 1.31.

Heartland Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.02 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 23rd. Heartland Express’s payout ratio is currently -14.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HTLD. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Barclays boosted their price target on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.80.

Insider Activity at Heartland Express

In other news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.67, for a total value of $492,069.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 28,387 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available at this link. Insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Heartland Express in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Heartland Express by 76.7% in 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 last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in Heartland Express by 185.5% in 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. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 51.3% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,549 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 3,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,252 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $111,000 after buying an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.