Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $12.13 and last traded at $11.8950, with a volume of 61556 shares. The stock had previously closed at $11.80.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Heartland Express from $8.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $12.00 price target on Heartland Express and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 price objective on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $10.00.

Heartland Express Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $9.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $916.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.37 and a beta of 1.15.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The transportation company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $179.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $194.54 million. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 6.51% and a negative return on equity of 4.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.12) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HTLD. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 4.4% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 27,708 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,170 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in Heartland Express during the first quarter worth about $133,000. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the 1st quarter worth approximately $907,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Heartland Express by 252.2% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 16,579 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 11,872 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lesa Sroufe & Co increased its holdings in Heartland Express by 111.3% during the 2nd quarter. Lesa Sroufe & Co now owns 228,895 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,978,000 after acquiring an additional 120,570 shares in the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.