Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Heartland Express from “hold” to “strong-buy,” while the broader analyst view remains cautious with a consensus rating of “hold” and a consensus price target of $12.80.
• The stock rose 1.1% and opened at $15.04, near the upper end of its 52-week range of $6.99 to $16.64. The company has a market cap of about $1.17 billion and a relatively low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.
• Recent earnings showed mixed results: Heartland beat EPS estimates with a loss of $0.06 per share versus the expected $0.13 loss, but revenue came in below forecasts and fell 19.7% year over year. Management’s current full-year EPS forecast is $0.05.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on HTLD. Robert W. Baird lifted 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 raised their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.80.

Heartland Express Stock Up 1.1%

HTLD opened at $15.04 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of -26.86 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Heartland Express has a 52 week low of $6.99 and a 52 week high of $16.64.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The transportation company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.07. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 3.70% and a negative net margin of 5.69%.The company had revenue of $153.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.18) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 19.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Heartland Express will post 0.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Heartland Express

In related news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 28,387 shares in the company, valued at approximately $444,824.29. This represents a 52.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 41.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Heartland Express by 76.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in Heartland Express by 185.5% during 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 during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Heartland Express by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,525 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 999 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Heartland Express by 3,737.9% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 10,746 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 10,466 shares during the period. 53.45% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Heartland Express

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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