Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Position in Heartland Express, Inc. $HTLD

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its Heartland Express stake by 5.5% in the first quarter, adding 201,151 shares to own approximately 5% of the company. Institutional investors collectively hold 53.45% of HTLD.
• Heartland Express reported quarterly EPS of $0.14 on revenue of $184.13 million, below the $185.08 million consensus estimate; revenue declined 12.5% year over year, and the company posted negative net margin and return on equity.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying an overall “Hold” rating and an average price target of $13.20. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.02 per share, while a director recently sold 31,402 shares.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD - Free Report) by 5.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,873,653 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 201,151 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 5.00% of Heartland Express worth $40,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HTLD. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Heartland Express during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 76.7% in the 4th 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 increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 3,737.9% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 10,746 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 10,466 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake 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 worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 3,918 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.45% of the company's stock.

Heartland Express Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTLD opened at $12.25 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.58. Heartland Express, Inc. has a one year low of $6.99 and a one year high of $16.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $949.25 million, a P/E ratio of -43.75 and a beta of 1.31. The company's fifty day moving average is $14.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.56.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 2.98% and a negative return on equity of 0.92%. The business had revenue of $184.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $185.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.14) EPS. The business's revenue was down 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 6th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were given a dividend of $0.02 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 23rd. Heartland Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -28.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HTLD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Heartland Express from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.20.

Insider Activity at Heartland Express

In other news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of the business'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 transaction of $492,069.34. Following the sale, the director owned 28,387 shares of the company's stock, valued at $444,824.29. The trade was a 52.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 41.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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