Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Sets New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Shares of Heartland Express hit a new 52-week high after Barclays raised its price target from $10 to $12 (while keeping an underweight rating); the stock traded as high as $13.72 and last at $13.57 on heavy volume.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed — one Buy, three Hold and three Sell — resulting in a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $11.60, even as firms like Robert W. Baird lifted their target to $15.
• Fundamentals are mixed: Heartland beat Q1 EPS estimates (‑$0.06 vs. ‑$0.13) but revenue fell 19.7% year‑over‑year to $153.8M and the company remains unprofitable, while it continues to pay a small quarterly dividend (annualized $0.08, ~0.6% yield).

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after Barclays raised their price target on the stock from $10.00 to $12.00. Barclays currently has an underweight rating on the stock. Heartland Express traded as high as $13.72 and last traded at $13.57, with a volume of 582082 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.27.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on HTLD. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 price objective on Heartland Express in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Heartland Express from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $11.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 3,036 shares in the last quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the third quarter valued at $89,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the third quarter valued at $89,000. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.23 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $10.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.76.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last announced 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 3.68% and a negative net margin of 5.69%.The company had revenue of $153.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.30 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.18) earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 19.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Heartland Express, Inc. will post -0.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 24th were paid a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 24th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Heartland Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -14.29%.

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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