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

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a research note published on Tuesday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 2.2 %

Heartland Financial USA stock opened at $59.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a PE ratio of 35.73 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $188.92 million during 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 business’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Heartland Financial USA news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total transaction of $220,064.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. USA Financial Formulas lifted its stake 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 valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter valued at $83,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,654 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

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.