Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Short Interest Down 5.1% in September

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) saw a large decline in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 893,500 shares, a decline of 5.1% from the September 15th total of 941,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 237,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In other Heartland Financial USA news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total transaction of $220,064.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. USA Financial Formulas raised its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% during the third quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $83,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 695.2% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,807 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted 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 buying an additional 2,654 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $59.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.73 and a beta of 0.95. Heartland Financial USA has a 12-month low of $26.44 and a 12-month high of $61.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $55.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $188.92 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $183.19 million. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 7.12%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.29%.

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.