Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 986,100 shares, an increase of 42.9% from the August 15th total of 690,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 241,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.1 days. Currently, 2.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In other Heartland Financial USA news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total value of $220,064.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Heartland Financial USA

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $83,000. TFO Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 37,550.0% during the fourth quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,259 shares of the bank’s stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 2,253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 695.2% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,807 shares of the bank’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 2,454 shares in the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Heartland Financial USA Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HTLF traded up $1.74 during trading on Friday, reaching $56.59. The company had a trading volume of 193,029 shares, compared to its average volume of 305,676. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.09 and a beta of 0.95. Heartland Financial USA has a 12 month low of $26.44 and a 12 month high of $56.75. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.60.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The bank reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $188.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $183.19 million. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 7.12%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Heartland Financial USA will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 13th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio is 72.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Heartland Financial USA from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $51.00 to $54.00 in a report on Friday, May 31st. StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.60.

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.