Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Short Interest Update

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 893,500 shares, a decrease of 5.1% from the September 15th total of 941,800 shares. Currently, 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 237,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Heartland Financial USA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA Trading Up 0.5 %

Heartland Financial USA stock traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $60.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 112,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 292,480. The company has a 50 day moving average of $55.14 and a 200-day moving average of $47.37. The stock has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of 36.63 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.77. Heartland Financial USA has a one year low of $26.44 and a one year high of $61.46.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $188.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $183.19 million. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 7.12%. Heartland Financial USA's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.72 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. Heartland Financial USA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.29%.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In related news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total transaction of $220,064.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.80% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth $360,000. USA Financial Formulas grew its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. High Note Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth $238,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth $125,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter worth $2,231,000. Institutional investors own 71.55% of the company's stock.

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.