35,289 Shares in Heartland Express, Inc. $HTLD Acquired by Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd

Key Points

• Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd has acquired a new stake in Heartland Express, purchasing 35,289 shares valued at approximately $325,000 in the first quarter.
• Heartland Express reported a loss of $0.14 EPS for the last quarter, missing analysts' estimates, and its revenue declined by 23.4% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.02 per share, set for distribution on October 3rd, with a yield of 0.9%.

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 35,289 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $325,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Heartland Express by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 959,257 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $8,844,000 after purchasing an additional 60,968 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Express during the first quarter valued at approximately $6,389,000. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Heartland Express by 1.2% during the first quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 588,417 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,425,000 after acquiring an additional 7,146 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Express in the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,396,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in Heartland Express by 55.6% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 560,300 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,287,000 after acquiring an additional 200,100 shares in the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTLD traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $8.50. 707,274 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 570,986. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $8.37 and a 200 day moving average of $8.67. Heartland Express, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.11 and a 1 year high of $12.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $657.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.48 and a beta of 1.09.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The transportation company reported ($0.14) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by ($0.06). Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 3.85% and a negative return on equity of 4.42%. The business had revenue of $210.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $229.12 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.04) earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 23.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 23rd will be paid a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 23rd. Heartland Express's dividend payout ratio is -17.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HTLD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Heartland Express from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Baird R W raised Heartland Express to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $9.00 to $8.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $9.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael J. Gerdin bought 24,798 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.19 per share, for a total transaction of $203,095.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,491,868 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,218,398.92. This trade represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders acquired 30,000 shares of company stock valued at $245,752. 40.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Heartland Express 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.