Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the bank's stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $57.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.48 billion, a PE ratio of 34.92 and a beta of 0.95. Heartland Financial USA has a fifty-two week low of $26.44 and a fifty-two week high of $61.46. The company has a fifty day moving average of $55.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.18.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 11.11%. The firm had revenue of $188.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.19 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. Heartland Financial USA's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. Heartland Financial USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Heartland Financial USA

In other news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total value of $220,064.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. USA Financial Formulas boosted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% during the third quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter worth $83,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 695.2% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,807 shares of the bank's stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 2,454 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the third quarter valued at about $125,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,775 shares of the bank's stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,654 shares during the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heartland Financial USA Company Profile

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.