Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $66.30, but opened at $64.15. Heartland Financial USA shares last traded at $66.69, with a volume of 23,061 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Heartland Financial USA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $64.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.87. The company has a market cap of $2.86 billion, a PE ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 0.98. 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 (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The firm had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.04%.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In related news, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,274.40. The trade was a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 6,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,420.28. This represents a 45.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,743 shares of company stock worth $1,958,839. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Heartland Financial USA

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. USA Financial Formulas raised its position in Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% in the third quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter worth $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,775 shares of the bank’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,654 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the third quarter valued at $225,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the third quarter valued at about $238,000. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.