New York State Common Retirement Fund Lowers Stock Position in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF - Free Report) by 7.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 328,453 shares of the bank's stock after selling 27,374 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.77% of Heartland Financial USA worth $18,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTLF. USA Financial Formulas increased its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter worth about $83,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,775 shares of the bank's stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 2,654 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 695.2% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,807 shares of the bank's stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 2,454 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.55% of the company's stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Up 2.9 %

HTLF stock traded up $1.72 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $60.13. 288,078 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 289,200. The stock has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.63 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.69 and a fifty-two week high of $61.56. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $56.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.72.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 11.04% and a net margin of 8.79%. The business had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $189.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.00%. Heartland Financial USA's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $45.60.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In other Heartland Financial USA news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total transaction of $220,064.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.