Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus "Reduce": Seven analysts give Heartland Express an average rating of "Reduce" (3 sell, 3 hold, 1 strong buy) with a mean 12‑month target of $10.20.
• Mixed quarter — EPS of ($0.06) slightly beat estimates, but revenue plunged 26.1% year‑over‑year to $157.7M and the company reported a negative net margin and negative ROE, signaling ongoing unprofitability.
• Shares trade around $10.15 (50‑day MA $10.67, 200‑day MA $9.18) with a market cap of approximately $786M, roughly in line with analysts' average target.

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Reduce" by the seven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $10.20.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HTLD shares. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Heartland Express from $8.50 to $11.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $12.00 target price on Heartland Express and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Heartland Express from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st.

Heartland Express Stock Down 6.1%

NASDAQ:HTLD opened at $10.15 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $10.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.18. The company has a market capitalization of $786.22 million, a PE ratio of -14.93 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. Heartland Express has a 1-year low of $6.99 and a 1-year high of $12.13.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 9th. The transportation company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.01. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 6.51% and a negative return on equity of 4.79%. The company had revenue of $157.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $194.54 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.12) EPS. Heartland Express's revenue was down 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Heartland Express will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Heartland Express

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HTLD. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Express during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Heartland Express by 76.7% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,905 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in 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 worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares during the last quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC bought a new stake in Heartland Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $89,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Heartland Express in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $89,000. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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