Heartland Express Reports Earnings Results

Heartland Express (NASDAQ:HTLD) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The transportation company reported earnings per share (EPS) of ($0.12) for the quarter, which fell short of the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.11), according to Briefing.com. The company recorded a negative net margin of 2.17% and a negative return on equity of 2.84%. Heartland Express generated revenue of $259.86 million in the quarter, which was below analysts' expectations of $268.35 million. In the same quarter last year, Heartland Express reported an EPS of ($0.14), and its revenue has declined by 11.9% year-over-year.

Heartland Express stock experienced a decline, trading down $0.30 during the midday session on Tuesday, reaching a price of $11.08. The stock traded 143,627 shares, lower than its average trading volume of 344,366 shares. The company's quick ratio and current ratio both stand at 1.23, and it has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. With a market capitalization of $875.89 million, Heartland Express shows a P/E ratio of -64.88 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has experienced a low of $9.63 and a high of $14.60 over the past year. Its fifty-day moving average price is $11.91, while its two-hundred day moving average is $11.76.

Quarterly Dividend Announcement

In addition to earnings results, Heartland Express declared a quarterly dividend that was paid on Monday, October 7th. Shareholders who were on record as of Friday, September 27th, received a dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date was also set for September 27th. This dividend corresponds to an annualized value of $0.08, giving it a yield of 0.72%. Heartland Express's dividend payout ratio (DPR) stands at -47.06%.

Analyst Perspectives

Market analysts have shared mixed views on Heartland Express. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated its "underweight" rating and reduced its target price from $12.00 to $10.00 in a research note on July 9th. UBS Group downgraded Heartland Express from a "buy" to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price from $15.00 to $13.00 in the same period. StockNews.com upgraded Heartland Express from a "sell" to a "hold" rating by July 24th. Furthermore, Barclays increased its target price from $10.00 to $11.00 and maintained an "underweight" rating as of August 1st. Currently, two analysts have rated the stock as a sell, while three have given it a hold rating. According to MarketBeat, Heartland Express carries an average rating of "Hold" with a target price of $12.00.

Insider Trading Activity

In related news, CEO Michael J. Gerdin purchased 50,000 shares of Heartland Express on September 11th at an average cost of $11.67 per share, totaling an investment of $583,500. Following this transaction, the CEO's holdings in the company now amount to 1,196,718 shares, valued at approximately $13,965,699.06. This transaction did not impact the percentage of shares held, as insiders currently own 39.60% of Heartland Express stock.

About Heartland Express

Heartland Express, Inc., along with its subsidiaries, provides short-to-medium and long-haul truckload services within the United States and Canada. The company primarily offers nationwide dry van truckload services for shippers, cross-border freight, and temperature-controlled truckload services.

earnings, transportation, stock