Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a research note issued to investors on Monday. The firm issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

HTLF opened at $69.06 on Monday. Heartland Financial USA has a 12-month low of $31.47 and a 12-month high of $70.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 38.58 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $61.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.58.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The company had revenue of $272.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.51 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,274.40. This trade represents a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. USA Financial Formulas increased its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% in the 3rd quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter worth $83,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,775 shares of the bank’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,654 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth $225,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

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.