Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.60.

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total value of $392,591.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $470,420.28. This trade represents a 45.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,274.40. This represents a 28.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 28,743 shares of company stock worth $1,958,839. 1.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. USA Financial Formulas increased its position in Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% during the third quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,378 shares of the bank’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 30,978 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,756,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Heartland Financial USA by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 22,119 shares of the bank’s stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 984 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 9.3% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 14,576 shares of the bank’s stock worth $826,000 after purchasing an additional 1,240 shares during the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ HTLF opened at $61.74 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.49 and a beta of 0.97. Heartland Financial USA has a 1-year low of $32.03 and a 1-year high of $70.27. 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 50 day moving average of $64.18 and a 200-day moving average of $56.01.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 10.81%. The company had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.51 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio is 67.04%.

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.