Empowered Funds LLC Acquires 5,360 Shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 107,076 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,360 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $6,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter worth about $46,626,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Heartland Financial USA by 2,309.0% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 710,923 shares of the bank’s stock worth $31,601,000 after purchasing an additional 681,412 shares in the last quarter. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. lifted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 506.3% in the 1st quarter. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. now owns 394,095 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,852,000 after purchasing an additional 329,095 shares during the last quarter. Slotnik Capital LLC bought a new position in Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $13,714,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter worth $10,601,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

Shares of Heartland Financial USA stock opened at $65.58 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.64 and a beta of 0.94. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.67 and a twelve month high of $69.91. The company’s fifty day moving average is $58.79 and its 200 day moving average is $51.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

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

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In related news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total transaction of $1,537,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 60,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,136,161.12. This trade represents a 27.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a report on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Heartland Financial USA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.60.

About Heartland Financial USA

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.