Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Reduces Stock Holdings in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund trimmed its stake in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF - Free Report) by 58.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,000 shares of the bank's stock after selling 29,200 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund's holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $1,191,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HTLF. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Heartland Financial USA by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 15,890 shares of the bank's stock worth $901,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC lifted its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 17,266 shares of the bank's stock worth $979,000 after acquiring an additional 5,720 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Heartland Financial USA by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,456,428 shares of the bank's stock valued at $82,579,000 after acquiring an additional 53,755 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the third quarter worth $426,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 58.2% during the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 15,504 shares of the bank's stock valued at $879,000 after purchasing an additional 5,706 shares during the period. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Heartland Financial USA

In related news, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,060 shares in the company, valued at $71,274.40. This trade represents a 28.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total transaction 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 approximately $4,136,161.12. This represents a 27.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research note on Monday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ HTLF traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $67.32. 167,157 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 284,490. The company has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.75 and a beta of 0.94. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a one year low of $31.47 and a one year high of $70.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $60.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.15.

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

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Heartland Financial USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.