Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $69.97 and last traded at $69.97, with a volume of 18697 shares. The stock had previously closed at $67.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Sunday. They set 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA Trading Down 0.4 %

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.97 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Insider Activity

In other Heartland Financial USA news, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total value of $29,047.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total transaction of $1,537,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,136,161.12. The trade was a 27.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,244,151 shares of the bank’s stock worth $114,032,000 after purchasing an additional 11,207 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2.1% in the second quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,657,168 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $118,111,000 after buying an additional 54,030 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Heartland Financial USA by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,384,697 shares of the bank’s stock worth $105,999,000 after buying an additional 182,245 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,456,428 shares of the bank’s stock worth $82,579,000 after acquiring an additional 53,755 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $46,626,000. 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.