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

Equities researchers at StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $62.99 on Thursday. 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 has a 12-month low of $32.03 and a 12-month high of $70.27. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $64.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $55.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.19 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total value of $392,591.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,420.28. This trade represents a 45.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total transaction of $29,047.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares in the company, valued at $71,274.40. The trade was a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,743 shares of company stock valued at $1,958,839. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 4.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 302,294 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,437,000 after acquiring an additional 12,565 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 40.7% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,172 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,364 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 26,543 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,180,000 after purchasing an additional 3,287 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP grew its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 781.5% during the second quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 73,507 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,267,000 after purchasing an additional 65,168 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in Heartland Financial USA by 2.8% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 82,732 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,677,000 after buying an additional 2,237 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.