Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Short Interest Up 15.7% in November


Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLFGet Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 407,600 shares, a growth of 15.7% from the November 15th total of 352,200 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 152,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Heartland Financial USA Price Performance

HTLF traded down $0.72 during trading on Friday, hitting $37.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 470,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 185,364. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $30.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Heartland Financial USA has a 12 month low of $26.10 and a 12 month high of $51.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.83 and a beta of 1.08.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLFGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 30th. The bank reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.01. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 20.61%. The firm had revenue of $273.82 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.63 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Heartland Financial USA will post 3.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.23%. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HTLF has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Heartland Financial USA from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Heartland Financial USA from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. Stephens reduced their price objective on Heartland Financial USA from $38.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $35.50.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Heartland Financial USA

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heartland Financial USA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,823,458 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $162,300,000 after buying an additional 195,372 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 6.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,028,089 shares of the bank’s stock worth $144,834,000 after purchasing an additional 187,955 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 4.6% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,277,457 shares of the bank’s stock worth $87,362,000 after purchasing an additional 99,372 shares during the period. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 3.2% during the second quarter. Dubuque Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,693,170 shares of the bank’s stock worth $47,189,000 after purchasing an additional 52,133 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 9.7% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,474,266 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,087,000 after purchasing an additional 130,772 shares during the period. 68.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Heartland Financial USA Company Profile (Get Free Report)

Heartland Financial USA, Inc, a multi-bank holding company, provides commercial, small business, and consumer banking services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It also accepts various deposit products, including checking and other demand deposit accounts; NOW, savings, money market, individual retirement; certificates of deposit; and other time deposits.

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Original: MarketBeat News Feed: Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Short Interest Up 15.7% in November