StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF)

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a research note released on Sunday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $54.47 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $53.84 and its 200 day moving average is $45.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Heartland Financial USA has a 52 week low of $26.44 and a 52 week high of $59.16. The stock has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of 32.81 and a beta of 0.95.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $188.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.19 million. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 7.12%. Heartland Financial USA’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.29%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $220,064.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HTLF. Clarity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Heartland Financial USA in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $83,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 37,550.0% in the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,259 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 2,253 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 695.2% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the first quarter worth $167,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.