Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $8.51 and traded as high as $10.51. Heartland Express shares last traded at $10.35, with a volume of 435,199 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on HTLD. Baird R W raised Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Heartland Express from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $12.00 target price on shares of Heartland Express and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Heartland Express from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $9.25.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $8.73 and its 200-day moving average is $8.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $801.59 million, a PE ratio of -23.00 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The transportation company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11). Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 4.01% and a negative return on equity of 4.37%. The firm had revenue of $172.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $209.68 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio is -17.78%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HTLD. Gate City Capital Management LLC raised its position in Heartland Express by 167.6% in the 2nd quarter. Gate City Capital Management LLC now owns 1,611,581 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009,388 shares in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Heartland Express by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,153,238 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,664,000 after buying an additional 485,658 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Group LLC acquired a new stake in Heartland Express during the 3rd quarter worth $4,062,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 150.6% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 799,491 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,700,000 after purchasing an additional 480,488 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in Heartland Express by 91.0% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 812,248 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,807,000 after buying an additional 386,961 shares during the period. 53.45% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heartland Express Company 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.