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

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 632,300 shares, a decrease of 12.1% from the December 15th total of 719,600 shares. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 212,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

Shares of HTLF stock traded up $1.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $65.78. The stock had a trading volume of 139,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 178,616. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $64.80 and its 200 day moving average is $58.18. Heartland Financial USA has a twelve month low of $32.03 and a twelve month high of $70.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a PE ratio of 36.75 and a beta of 0.98.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The business 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 posted $1.12 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 14th. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Heartland Financial USA

In other Heartland Financial USA news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total transaction of $1,537,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 60,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,136,161.12. The trade was a 27.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total transaction of $29,047.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,060 shares in the company, valued at $71,274.40. This trade represents a 28.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 28,743 shares of company stock valued at $1,958,839 in the last quarter. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 4th quarter worth about $294,000. USA Financial Formulas increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 90.4% during the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 2,018 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 958 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,679 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,626,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth about $303,000. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Heartland Financial USA

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.