Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) EVP Sells $29,047.68 in Stock

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total value of $29,047.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,274.40. This represents a 28.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ HTLF traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $68.95. 167,324 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 287,053. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 38.60 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $59.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.31. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.67 and a 12 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, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The business had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.51 million. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 10.81%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.12 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTLF. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter valued at $46,626,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2,309.0% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 710,923 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $31,601,000 after buying an additional 681,412 shares during the last quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 260.1% in the third quarter. Westchester Capital Management LLC now owns 582,880 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $33,049,000 after buying an additional 421,000 shares during the last quarter. Slotnik Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the second quarter valued at about $13,714,000. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the second quarter worth about $10,601,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a report on Sunday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.