Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Price Target Raised to $15.00

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird raised its price target on Heartland Express to $15.00 (from $12.00) and maintains an "outperform" rating, implying about a 24.8% upside from the prior close.
• The analyst consensus is a "Reduce" rating with a consensus target of $10.80, based on 1 Buy, 3 Hold and 3 Sell ratings.
• In the most recent quarter Heartland reported EPS of -$0.06, beating estimates by $0.07, while revenue fell 19.7% year‑over‑year to $176.26 million and the company showed a negative net margin (6.51%) and negative ROE (4.79%).

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by Robert W. Baird from $12.00 to $15.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the transportation company's stock. Robert W. Baird's target price suggests a potential upside of 24.79% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on HTLD. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Heartland Express from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $8.50 to $11.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 price target on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $10.80.

Heartland Express Price Performance

Shares of HTLD opened at $12.02 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $931.07 million, a PE ratio of -17.68 and a beta of 1.11. The company's 50-day moving average is $10.71 and its 200-day moving average is $9.64. Heartland Express has a fifty-two week low of $6.99 and a fifty-two week high of $12.22. 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 (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.07. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 6.51% and a negative return on equity of 4.79%. The business had revenue of $176.26 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.18) earnings per share. Heartland Express's revenue was down 19.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Heartland Express will post -0.24 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HTLD. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted 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 in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake 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 valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares in the last quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $89,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $89,000. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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