Insider Selling: Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Director Sells 22,500 Shares of Stock

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the company’s 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 owns 60,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,136,161.12. This represents a 27.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

HTLF opened at $65.58 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $58.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.64 and a beta of 0.94. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.67 and a 12-month high of $69.91.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTLF. USA Financial Formulas raised 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 valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Heartland Financial USA by 2.2% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,378 shares of the bank’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Heartland Financial USA by 0.8% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 30,978 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,756,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 8.5% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 7,600 shares of the bank’s stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 22,119 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 984 shares during the period. 71.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research note on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Two equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Heartland Financial USA currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.60.

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.