Brokerages Set Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) PT at $45.60

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Buy" from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.60.

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. They set a "hold" rating on the stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total value of $1,537,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,136,161.12. The trade was a 27.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total value of $29,047.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,060 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,274.40. This represents a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,743 shares of company stock worth $1,958,839. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Heartland Financial USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTLF. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,309.0% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 710,923 shares of the bank's stock valued at $31,601,000 after acquiring an additional 681,412 shares during the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 260.1% during the third quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC now owns 582,880 shares of the bank's stock worth $33,049,000 after buying an additional 421,000 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter worth about $10,601,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the third quarter valued at approximately $11,404,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,543,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

HTLF stock traded up $0.44 on Thursday, reaching $66.67. 85,861 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 220,881. Heartland Financial USA has a 12 month low of $32.03 and a 12 month high of $70.27. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $64.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.86 billion, a PE ratio of 37.17 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The business had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. Heartland Financial USA's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.04%.

About Heartland Financial USA

Heartland Financial USA, Inc, a bank holding company, provides commercial, small business, and consumer banking services to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking, demand deposit accounts, NOW accounts, savings, money market, and individual retirement; certificates of deposit; and other time deposits.