Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Lowers Holdings in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its holdings in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 79.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 327,216 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,253,521 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.76% of Heartland Financial USA worth $14,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,244,151 shares of the bank’s stock worth $114,032,000 after acquiring an additional 11,207 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,384,697 shares of the bank’s stock worth $105,999,000 after acquiring an additional 182,245 shares in the last quarter. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 506.3% during the 1st quarter. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. now owns 394,095 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,852,000 after purchasing an additional 329,095 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $11,502,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 302,294 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,437,000 after purchasing an additional 12,565 shares during the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heartland Financial USA Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ HTLF opened at $56.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.97 and a beta of 0.95. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 1-year low of $26.44 and a 1-year high of $59.16. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $53.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.87.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The firm 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HTLF has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Heartland Financial USA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $51.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Heartland Financial USA has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Heartland Financial USA

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

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.