Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Invests $1.57 Million in Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD)

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 139,548 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,566,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned approximately 0.18% of Heartland Express at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HTLD. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in Heartland Express by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 28,579 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 2,189 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in Heartland Express by 326.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 83,848 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,029,000 after buying an additional 64,185 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Heartland Express during the 4th quarter valued at about $288,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Heartland Express by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 898,289 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $10,079,000 after buying an additional 45,732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Heartland Express by 159.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 127,153 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,561,000 after buying an additional 78,237 shares in the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

NASDAQ HTLD opened at $8.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $699.70 million, a PE ratio of -24.08 and a beta of 1.04. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $8.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.50. Heartland Express, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.11 and a 1-year high of $13.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.17.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The transportation company reported ($0.18) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by ($0.05). Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 2.84% and a negative return on equity of 3.57%. The firm had revenue of $219.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $241.37 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.19) EPS. The business's revenue was down 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were paid a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.90%. Heartland Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -22.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Ann S. Gerdin Revocable Trust bought 148,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $7.70 per share, for a total transaction of $1,141,694.40. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 1,046,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,060,791.20. This trade represents a 16.50% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 40.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HTLD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Heartland Express from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com downgraded Heartland Express from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Heartland Express Company Profile

Heartland Express, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a short-to-medium, and long-haul truckload carrier in the United States and Canada. It primarily provides nationwide asset-based dry van truckload service for shippers; cross-border freight and other transportation services; and temperature-controlled truckload services.

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