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 Wednesday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Price Performance

Shares of Heartland Financial USA stock opened at $57.80 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a PE ratio of 34.82 and a beta of 0.95. Heartland Financial USA has a 12-month low of $26.44 and a 12-month high of $61.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $55.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.25.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $188.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.19 million. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 11.11%. The company’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.72 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total value of $220,064.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. USA Financial Formulas lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 232 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter worth about $83,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 695.2% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,807 shares of the bank’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $125,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% in 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 period. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.