Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Price Target Raised to $10.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase raised its target on Heartland Express from $9 to $10 but kept an "underweight" rating, with the $10 target implying roughly a 23.9% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst views are mixed: Robert W. Baird upgraded to "Outperform" and lifted its target to $15, while MarketBeat's consensus averages a "Reduce" rating with an average target of $11.20.
• Q1 results beat EPS expectations (loss of $0.06 vs. consensus -$0.13) and showed improved operating metrics and reduced acquisition debt, but revenue declined ~19.7% YoY and the company remains unprofitable.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $9.00 to $10.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "underweight" rating on the transportation company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price points to a potential downside of 23.90% from the company's previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 price target on Heartland Express in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays upped their price target on Heartland Express from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $12.00 price target on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $11.20.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

HTLD stock traded up $1.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $13.14. The stock had a trading volume of 415,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 493,448. Heartland Express has a 52 week low of $6.99 and a 52 week high of $13.20. The stock's 50 day moving average is $10.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of -19.32 and a beta of 1.11.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.07. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 4.79% and a negative net margin of 6.51%.The company had revenue of $176.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.18) earnings per share. Heartland Express's revenue was down 19.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Heartland Express will post -0.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Heartland Express

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Heartland Express by 0.5% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,857,387 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $32,325,000 after purchasing an additional 17,962 shares in the last quarter. Gate City Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Heartland Express by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Gate City Capital Management LLC now owns 2,192,807 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $19,801,000 after purchasing an additional 167,962 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Heartland Express by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,961,907 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $17,755,000 after purchasing an additional 35,355 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Heartland Express by 72.7% during the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,153,238 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $9,664,000 after purchasing an additional 485,658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Heartland Express by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,090,216 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $9,845,000 after buying an additional 166,236 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.45% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Heartland Express

Here are the key news stories impacting Heartland Express this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird upgraded HTLD to "Outperform" and raised its price target from $12 to $15, signaling ~17% upside from recent levels and likely prompting buy interest. Baird Raises Price Target to $15, Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results: HTLD reported a narrower loss of $0.06 EPS versus a consensus loss of $0.13 (beat) and reduced year-over-year loss from $0.18. The EPS beat is a near-term catalyst supporting the rally. Heartland Express Beats Q1 Sales Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Operational progress: management reported an improved operating ratio (101.9%, a ~490 bp improvement vs. Q1 2025), lower adjusted operating ratio, and significant acquisition-related debt reduction (from $494.1M in 2022 to $149.9M), which reduces leverage risk. Operating Results Q1 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and coverage notes highlight key metrics and context ahead/after the print — useful for framing expectations but not an immediate buy/sell signal. Zacks: Key Metrics for HTLD Q1
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and profitability concerns persist: Q1 revenue of $176.3M missed consensus (~$177.3M) and was down ~19.7% YoY; the company still posted a net loss and negative margins, highlighting ongoing demand and margin pressure risk. Zacks: Q1 Loss, Misses Revenue

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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