Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Issues Earnings Results

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The transportation company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.11), Briefing.com reports. Heartland Express had a negative return on equity of 2.84% and a negative net margin of 2.17%. The firm had revenue of $259.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $268.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.14) EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 11.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLD traded down $0.28 on Tuesday, hitting $11.10. 534,195 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 346,284. The company's 50 day moving average price is $11.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.76. Heartland Express has a one year low of $9.63 and a one year high of $14.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $877.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -65.29 and a beta of 0.69.

Heartland Express Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 27th were issued a dividend of $0.02 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 27th. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Heartland Express's payout ratio is -47.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HTLD shares. UBS Group lowered shares of Heartland Express from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $15.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $10.00 target price (down previously from $12.00) on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Heartland Express from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Heartland Express from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.00.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Express

In related news, CEO Michael J. Gerdin acquired 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $11.67 per share, for a total transaction of $583,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 1,196,718 shares in the company, valued at $13,965,699.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 39.60% 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.