Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) Sets New 52-Week High at $44.25

Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $44.25 and last traded at $43.97, with a volume of 56971 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.94.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HTLF has been the topic of several recent research reports. TheStreet lowered shares of Heartland Financial USA from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Heartland Financial USA from $41.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Heartland Financial USA from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Heartland Financial USA from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.00.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $35.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 29th. The bank reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $279.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $182.73 million. Heartland Financial USA had a net margin of 8.17% and a return on equity of 11.50%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Monday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 10th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is presently 72.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert B. Engel sold 7,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.26, for a total value of $191,976.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $429,420. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD National Bancorp IN acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,009,000. HTLF Bank acquired a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,623,000. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $245,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 446,883 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,152,000 after purchasing an additional 34,571 shares during the period. Finally, EJF Capital LLC acquired a new position in Heartland Financial USA in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,299,000. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.