Citigroup Inc. Sells 249 Shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Citigroup Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 0.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 247,249 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 249 shares during the quarter. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.58% of Heartland Financial USA worth $14,019,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. USA Financial Formulas increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter worth about $83,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth about $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,775 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,654 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter worth about $209,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $67.72 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a one year low of $29.67 and a one year high of $70.27. The firm has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of 37.83 and a beta of 0.94.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 8.79%. The business had revenue of $272.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,274.40. The trade was a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total value of $1,537,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 60,541 shares in the company, valued at $4,136,161.12. This trade represents a 27.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research note on Sunday, November 24th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA 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.