GSA Capital Partners LLP Purchases 72,739 Shares of Heartland Express, Inc. $HTLD

GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its position in Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 103,373 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,739 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in Heartland Express were worth $866,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Heartland Express by 183.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 68,875 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $577,000 after buying an additional 44,566 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 178,138 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,493,000 after acquiring an additional 31,105 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 220,440 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,847,000 after purchasing an additional 5,678 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 90,111 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 21,975 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnolia Group LLC bought a new position in Heartland Express in the 3rd quarter worth $4,062,000. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HTLD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $8.50 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 price objective on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Heartland Express presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $10.00.

Heartland Express Stock Up 2.3%

NASDAQ HTLD opened at $11.76 on Friday. Heartland Express, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.99 and a 12 month high of $12.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market cap of $910.81 million, a PE ratio of -17.29 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $10.35 and its 200 day moving average is $8.97.

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

Heartland Express 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.