Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The transportation company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.02), Briefing.com reports. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 1.77% and a positive return on equity of 0.30%.

Heartland Express Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTLD traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $10.22. The stock had a trading volume of 626,501 shares, compared to its average volume of 612,326. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $11.52 and a 200-day moving average of $12.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.58. The company has a market capitalization of $790.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -63.88 and a beta of 1.35. Heartland Express has a 12-month low of $6.99 and a 12-month high of $16.64.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 25th were given a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 25th. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently -50.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HTLD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 19th. Barclays decreased their target price on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird downgraded Heartland Express from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $16.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. UBS Group cut their price target on Heartland Express from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $11.80.

About Heartland Express

Heartland Express, Inc is a North American truckload carrier that provides freight transportation services primarily through an asset-based fleet of tractors and dry van trailers. The company transports general commodities, including consumer and industrial goods, over irregular routes and short- to medium-length hauls.

The company serves customers throughout the contiguous United States and also provides cross-border transportation services involving Mexico and Canada. Its offerings include standard truckload transportation, dedicated capacity, expedited and regional services, and logistics support designed to help shippers manage freight movements and supply chains.

Heartland Express was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa.