Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a research note issued to investors on Sunday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ HTLF opened at $56.70 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 34.16 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $53.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.50. Heartland Financial USA has a 1 year low of $26.44 and a 1 year high of $59.16.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $188.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $183.19 million. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 7.12%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Heartland Financial USA

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 7,600 shares of the bank’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 598 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC grew its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 8.6% during the first quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 9,211 shares of the bank’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 728 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 4.7% in the second 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 last quarter. Finally, Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.