Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) in a note issued to investors on Sunday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the bank’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $56.70 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.77. Heartland Financial USA has a fifty-two week low of $26.44 and a fifty-two week high of $59.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.16 and a beta of 0.95.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.01. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 7.12% and a return on equity of 11.11%. The business had revenue of $188.92 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.19 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In other news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total transaction of $220,064.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in Heartland Financial USA by 223.1% during the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 24,940 shares of the bank’s stock worth $877,000 after acquiring an additional 17,221 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 67.2% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 31,827 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 12,795 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Heartland Financial USA by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,232,944 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $121,591,000 after buying an additional 88,886 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Heartland Financial USA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,502,000. Finally, Water Island Capital LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $800,000. 71.55% of the stock is 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.