Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $12.43 and traded as high as $15.23. Heartland Express shares last traded at $14.83, with a volume of 630,261 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on HTLD shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. UBS Group raised their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.80.

Heartland Express Trading Down 2.7%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $15.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.43. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.48 and a beta of 1.31.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The transportation company reported ($0.06) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.07. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 5.69% and a negative return on equity of 3.70%. The business had revenue of $153.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.18) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 19.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were paid a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 23rd. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio is presently -14.29%.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Express

In other Heartland Express news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.67, for a total transaction of $492,069.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 28,387 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $444,824.29. This trade represents a 52.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Heartland Express by 5.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,873,653 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $40,285,000 after buying an additional 201,151 shares during the last quarter. Gate City Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Gate City Capital Management LLC now owns 2,192,807 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $19,801,000 after acquiring an additional 167,962 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,961,907 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $17,755,000 after acquiring an additional 35,355 shares during the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 72.7% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,153,238 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,664,000 after acquiring an additional 485,658 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Heartland Express by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,090,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,845,000 after acquiring an additional 166,236 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

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.