Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 3,749 Shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,428 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 3,749 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.08% of Heartland Financial USA worth $1,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HTLF. USA Financial Formulas lifted its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 90.4% during the fourth quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 2,018 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 958 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter valued at $225,000. Tanager Wealth Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 4th quarter valued at $256,000. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 4th quarter valued at $294,000. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter worth $303,000. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the business’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 sale, the director now owns 6,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,420.28. The trade was a 45.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

Heartland Financial USA Trading Down 2.2 %

Heartland Financial USA stock opened at $64.67 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.33 and a 1 year high of $70.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $64.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.60.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is currently 67.04%.

Heartland Financial USA Company Profile

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.