Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Shares Acquired by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 33.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,999 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 6,960 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.07% of Heartland Financial USA worth $1,588,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,626,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,309.0% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 710,923 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,601,000 after purchasing an additional 681,412 shares in the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 260.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC now owns 582,880 shares of the bank’s stock worth $33,049,000 after purchasing an additional 421,000 shares in the last quarter. Slotnik Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $13,714,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $10,601,000. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $62.31 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.81 and a beta of 0.97. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.03 and a 1 year high of $70.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. The business had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.51 million. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 8.79%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.12 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is currently 67.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total value of $29,047.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,274.40. This represents a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total value of $392,591.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,963 shares in the company, valued at $470,420.28. This represents a 45.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 28,743 shares of company stock worth $1,958,839. 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.