Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Trims Stock Position in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its stake in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 28.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 235,568 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 91,648 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $13,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,244,151 shares of the bank’s stock worth $114,032,000 after acquiring an additional 11,207 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2.1% in the second quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 2,657,168 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $118,111,000 after purchasing an additional 54,030 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,384,697 shares of the bank’s stock worth $105,999,000 after buying an additional 182,245 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter worth approximately $46,626,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,309.0% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 710,923 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,601,000 after buying an additional 681,412 shares during the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,136,161.12. This trade represents a 27.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research note on Saturday, November 16th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA Price Performance

Shares of HTLF stock opened at $66.30 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $59.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.93. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.67 and a 12 month high of $69.91. 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 company has a market capitalization of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 37.11 and a beta of 0.94.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The firm had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.51 million. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 8.79%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.04%.

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.