N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC Trims Position in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC cut its position in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,027 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,225 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HTLF. Westchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 260.1% in the third quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC now owns 582,880 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,049,000 after purchasing an additional 421,000 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the third quarter valued at $11,404,000. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. grew its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 20.9% during the third quarter. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. now owns 323,577 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $18,347,000 after acquiring an additional 55,949 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 3.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,456,428 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $82,579,000 after acquiring an additional 53,755 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter valued at $2,231,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In other news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total value of $1,537,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,136,161.12. This trade represents a 27.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total transaction of $392,591.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $470,420.28. The trade was a 45.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 28,743 shares of company stock worth $1,958,839. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Heartland Financial USA Price Performance

HTLF stock opened at $64.67 on Friday. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.03 and a 52 week high of $70.27. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 0.98.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The business had revenue of $272.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.04%.

Heartland Financial USA 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.