Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Issues Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The transportation company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.02), Briefing.com reports. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 1.77% and a positive return on equity of 0.30%.

Heartland Express Stock Down 1.5%

HTLD traded down $0.15 on Friday, hitting $10.23. The company had a trading volume of 185,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 606,910. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.58. Heartland Express has a 52-week low of $6.99 and a 52-week high of $16.64. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $791.01 million, a P/E ratio of -63.75 and a beta of 1.35.

Heartland Express Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, September 25th were paid a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 25th. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently -50.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HTLD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Heartland Express from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Heartland Express from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $16.00 to $12.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Heartland Express has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $11.80.

Heartland Express Company Profile

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.