Fmr LLC Reduces Holdings in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Fmr LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 8.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 502,768 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 45,400 shares during the period. Fmr LLC’s holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $28,507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the third quarter valued at approximately $426,000. Water Island Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $800,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $601,000. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $46,626,000. Finally, Slotnik Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the second quarter valued at approximately $13,714,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Heartland Financial USA

In other news, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total value of $1,537,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 60,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,136,161.12. This represents a 27.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Trading Down 1.1 %

Heartland Financial USA stock opened at $67.06 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 12 month low of $32.03 and a 12 month high of $70.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.12. The firm has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a PE ratio of 37.46 and a beta of 0.97.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 8.79%. The business had revenue of $272.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.60.

Heartland Financial USA 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.