Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Receives $45.60 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) have been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the five analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.60.

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Heartland Financial USA Trading Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $66.60 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.87. Heartland Financial USA has a 12 month low of $32.03 and a 12 month high of $70.27.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The firm had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.51 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 14th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio is 67.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Heartland Financial USA news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total value of $392,591.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $470,420.28. The trade was a 45.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total transaction of $29,047.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,274.40. The trade was a 28.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,743 shares of company stock valued at $1,958,839. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. USA Financial Formulas raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $125,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,193.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,775 shares of the bank’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 2,654 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter worth about $225,000. 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.