Brokerages Set Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Price Target at $45.60

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.60.

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a report on Thursday, December 26th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $60.87 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $64.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.53. 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 company has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 34.01 and a beta of 0.97. Heartland Financial USA has a twelve month low of $32.03 and a twelve month high of $70.27.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 company had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.12 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,420.28. This represents a 45.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders have sold a total of 28,743 shares of company stock valued at $1,958,839 over the last quarter. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTLF. USA Financial Formulas raised its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% in 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. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in 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% during 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 last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $225,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 3rd quarter worth about $225,000. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.