Pullen Investment Management LLC Purchases 94,048 Shares of Heartland Express, Inc. $HTLD

Pullen Investment Management LLC raised its position in Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) by 135.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 163,250 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 94,048 shares during the quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Heartland Express were worth $1,895,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in 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 grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,165 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Express during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 4,313 shares during the period. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Heartland Express Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLD opened at $10.18 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.07. Heartland Express, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $6.99 and a fifty-two week high of $16.64. The company has a market cap of $787.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -63.62 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The transportation company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.02). Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 1.77% and a positive return on equity of 0.30%. The business had revenue of $179.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $181.38 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HTLD shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Heartland Express from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $16.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group dropped their target price on Heartland Express from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. 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 stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $12.20.

About Heartland Express

Heartland Express, Inc is a North American truckload carrier that provides freight transportation services primarily through an asset-based fleet of tractors and dry van trailers. The company transports general commodities, including consumer and industrial goods, over irregular routes and short- to medium-length hauls.

The company serves customers throughout the contiguous United States and also provides cross-border transportation services involving Mexico and Canada. Its offerings include standard truckload transportation, dedicated capacity, expedited and regional services, and logistics support designed to help shippers manage freight movements and supply chains.

Heartland Express was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa.