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

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

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 0.1 %

Heartland Financial USA stock opened at $65.23 on Friday. Heartland Financial USA has a 52 week low of $29.67 and a 52 week high of $69.91. The firm has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.44 and a beta of 0.94. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $59.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The firm had revenue of $272.79 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.51 million. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 10.81%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.12 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.04%.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In related news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total value of $1,537,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,136,161.12. This trade represents a 27.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HTLF. USA Financial Formulas lifted its position in Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% during the third quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $83,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the third quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the third 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.