New York State Common Retirement Fund Reduces Position in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its holdings in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 327,297 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 1,156 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $20,065,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. USA Financial Formulas raised its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 90.4% in the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 2,018 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 958 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the third quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% in the third 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. HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the third quarter worth approximately $225,000. Finally, Tanager Wealth Management LLP purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $256,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $64.67 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $63.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.84. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.03 and a 1-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 firm 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 Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total transaction of $392,591.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,420.28. This represents a 45.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

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.