Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $9.00 price target on shares of Heartland Express in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird set a $12.00 price target on Heartland Express and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Zacks Research raised Heartland Express from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Heartland Express from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $9.75.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTLD opened at $10.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $781.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.42 and a beta of 1.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $9.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $8.63. Heartland Express has a one year low of $6.99 and a one year high of $11.82.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The transportation company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11). The company had revenue of $172.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $209.68 million. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 4.37% and a negative net margin of 4.01%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Heartland Express will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Heartland Express by 185.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,673 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Express during the third quarter worth $89,000. Autumn Glory Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Express during the third quarter worth $89,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 51.3% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 11,549 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 3,918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. bought a new position in shares of Heartland Express in the 3rd quarter valued at $101,000. 53.45% of the stock is owned by 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.