Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Announces Earnings Results

Key Points

• Heartland Express reported quarterly EPS of $0.14, reversing a loss of $0.14 per share in the year-ago quarter, although revenue fell 12.5% year over year. The company posted a negative 5.69% net margin and negative 3.70% return on equity.
• Shares declined to $12.56 during Thursday trading, below the $14.99 50-day moving average. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $12.80.
• The company maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.02 per share, or $0.08 annualized, representing a 0.6% yield. A director also sold 31,402 shares, reducing his position by 52.52%.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Thursday. The transportation company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, Zacks reports. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 3.70% and a negative net margin of 5.69%.The company's revenue for the quarter was down 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.14) EPS.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLD traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $12.56. The company's stock had a trading volume of 385,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 558,212. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $14.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $973.27 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.44 and a beta of 1.31. Heartland Express has a fifty-two week low of $6.99 and a fifty-two week high of $16.64.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.02 per share. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 23rd. Heartland Express's dividend payout ratio is -14.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 28,387 shares in the company, valued at $444,824.29. This represents a 52.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 41.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HTLD. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 185.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,673 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 3,036 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 51.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,549 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 3,918 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,252 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $111,000 after purchasing an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 53.45% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on HTLD. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Heartland Express from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.80.

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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