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

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a research report report published on Tuesday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Trading Down 2.2 %

NASDAQ HTLF opened at $64.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 0.98. Heartland Financial USA has a one year low of $32.03 and a one year high of $70.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The business’s fifty day moving average is $64.33 and its 200-day moving average is $60.16.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 14th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.04%.

Insider Activity at Heartland Financial USA

In related news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total value of $392,591.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,420.28. The trade was a 45.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares in the company, valued at $71,274.40. This represents a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 77.8% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 928 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 406 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 90.4% during the fourth quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 2,018 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 958 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the third quarter valued at about $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,775 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 2,654 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 204.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,236 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 2,174 shares during the period. 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.