Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) Stock Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD)’s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $10.77 and traded as high as $15.59. Heartland Express shares last traded at $15.18, with a volume of 554,072 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HTLD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $12.00 price objective on shares of Heartland Express in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Heartland Express from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 24th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Heartland Express from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $12.20.

Heartland Express Price Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $12.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.86. The stock has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of -28.11 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 24th. The transportation company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by $0.07. Heartland Express had a negative net margin of 5.69% and a negative return on equity of 3.70%. The firm had revenue of $153.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.18) EPS. The company’s revenue was down 19.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Heartland Express, Inc. will post 0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Express

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HTLD. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 72.7% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 1,153,238 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,664,000 after purchasing an additional 485,658 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 150.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 799,491 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,700,000 after purchasing an additional 480,488 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Heartland Express by 91.0% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 812,248 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,807,000 after purchasing an additional 386,961 shares during the period. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Heartland Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,619,000. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Heartland Express by 90.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 529,514 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,782,000 after acquiring an additional 251,670 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 53.45% of the company’s stock.

Heartland Express Company Profile

Heartland Express, Inc (NASDAQ: HTLD) is a publicly traded truckload carrier headquartered in North Liberty, Iowa. The company specializes in full truckload transportation, offering dry-van services that connect shippers with customers across the continental United States. Its primary focus is on over-the-road freight movements, serving industries such as manufacturing, retail, and consumer goods.

Founded in 1978 as Heartland Motor Freight, the company has grown from a regional carrier into one of the larger U.S.