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

Shares of Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) 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 trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on HTLD shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $12.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Heartland Express from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Heartland Express from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One equities 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 currently has an average 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 has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of -26.48 and a beta of 1.31. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.43.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The transportation company reported ($0.06) earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.30 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.18) EPS. The company’s revenue was down 19.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 23rd were issued a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 23rd. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Paul Millis sold 31,402 shares of Heartland Express 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 transaction, the director directly owned 28,387 shares in the company, valued at approximately $444,824.29. The trade was a 52.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 41.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HTLD. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 5.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,873,653 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,285,000 after buying an additional 201,151 shares during the period. Gate City Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Gate City Capital Management LLC now owns 2,192,807 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $19,801,000 after acquiring an additional 167,962 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Heartland Express by 1.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 worth $9,664,000 after acquiring an additional 485,658 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Heartland Express by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,090,216 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,845,000 after acquiring an additional 166,236 shares during the period. 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.