Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Posts Earnings Results

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The transportation company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.02), Briefing.com reports. Heartland Express had a positive return on equity of 0.30% and a negative net margin of 1.77%.

Heartland Express Stock Performance

HTLD stock traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $10.38. The stock had a trading volume of 788,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 605,546. The firm has a market capitalization of $802.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 339.67 and a beta of 1.35. Heartland Express has a 52 week low of $6.99 and a 52 week high of $16.64. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Heartland Express Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Friday, September 25th were given a $0.02 dividend. This represents a $0.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 25th. Heartland Express’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -50.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HTLD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Monday, September 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Heartland Express from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Heartland Express from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Heartland Express from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $11.80.

About Heartland Express

Heartland Express, Inc is a North American truckload carrier that provides freight transportation services primarily through an asset-based fleet of tractors and dry van trailers. The company transports general commodities, including consumer and industrial goods, over irregular routes and short- to medium-length hauls.

The company serves customers throughout the contiguous United States and also provides cross-border transportation services involving Mexico and Canada. Its offerings include standard truckload transportation, dedicated capacity, expedited and regional services, and logistics support designed to help shippers manage freight movements and supply chains.

Heartland Express was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa.