Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Cuts Position in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF - Free Report) by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 235,568 shares of the bank's stock after selling 91,648 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.55% of Heartland Financial USA worth $13,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter valued at $46,626,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Heartland Financial USA by 2,309.0% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 710,923 shares of the bank's stock worth $31,601,000 after buying an additional 681,412 shares during the last quarter. Slotnik Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $13,714,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,601,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the third quarter worth $11,404,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.55% of the company's stock.

Heartland Financial USA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTLF traded up $1.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $67.53. The stock had a trading volume of 158,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 287,588. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.67 and a 1 year high of $69.91. The company has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of 37.61 and a beta of 0.94. 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 has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $52.03.

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

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA's payout ratio is 67.04%.

Insider Activity at Heartland Financial USA

In other Heartland Financial USA news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total transaction of $1,537,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,136,161.12. The trade was a 27.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a report on Saturday, November 16th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Two investment 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $45.60.

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.