Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Cut to Neutral at Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a report published on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has $12.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock, down from their previous price target of $16.00.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on HTLD. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Monday, September 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Heartland Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. 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 research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $12.20.

Heartland Express Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of HTLD stock opened at $10.29 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.58. Heartland Express has a twelve month low of $6.99 and a twelve month high of $16.64. The company has a market capitalization of $795.73 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 342.00 and a beta of 1.35.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The transportation company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $179.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $181.38 million. Heartland Express had a positive return on equity of 0.30% and a negative net margin of 1.77%. As a group, research analysts predict that Heartland Express will post 0.13 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Express Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HTLD. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Express in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Heartland Express during the third quarter worth $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Heartland Express by 18.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,525 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 999 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Heartland Express by 3,737.9% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 10,746 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 10,466 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Heartland Express by 73.5% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,429 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 4,840 shares during the last quarter. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Heartland Express Company Profile

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.