Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Time to Buy?

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 600,676 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 47% from the previous session's volume of 408,087 shares.The stock last traded at $11.44 and had previously closed at $11.56.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Heartland Express from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on Heartland Express from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Heartland Express has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $11.75.

Heartland Express Trading Up 0.7 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $11.43 and a 200-day moving average of $11.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $897.26 million, a P/E ratio of -30.89 and a beta of 0.76.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The transportation company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.02. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 3.57% and a negative net margin of 2.84%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a $0.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $0.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Heartland Express's dividend payout ratio is currently -21.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Ann S. Gerdin Revocable Trust bought 49,506 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $12.24 per share, for a total transaction of $605,953.44. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 898,584 shares in the company, valued at $10,998,668.16. This trade represents a 5.83 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 39.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Inspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 17,310 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,770 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 7.8% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 26,362 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 1,913 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 39,395 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $442,000 after purchasing an additional 2,196 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 85.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,069 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,340 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 24,390 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.45% of the company's stock.

About Heartland Express

Heartland Express, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a short-to-medium, and long-haul truckload carrier in the United States and Canada. It primarily provides nationwide asset-based dry van truckload service for shippers; cross-border freight and other transportation services; and temperature-controlled truckload services.