Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Now Covered by StockNews.com

Analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a report released on Friday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of HTLF stock opened at $64.67 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $64.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Heartland Financial USA has a 1 year low of $32.33 and a 1 year high of $70.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 0.98.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,420.28. This represents a 45.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Heartland Financial USA

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 77.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 928 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 821.4% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 1,191 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas lifted its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 90.4% in the fourth quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 2,018 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 958 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 204.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,236 shares of the bank’s stock worth $198,000 after acquiring an additional 2,174 shares during the period. Finally, Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

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.