Whelan Financial Sells 255 Shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Whelan Financial cut its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,040 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 255 shares during the quarter. Heartland Financial USA accounts for about 0.2% of Whelan Financial’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Whelan Financial’s holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 223.1% during the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 24,940 shares of the bank’s stock worth $877,000 after acquiring an additional 17,221 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 67.2% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 31,827 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,189,000 after buying an additional 12,795 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Heartland Financial USA by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,232,944 shares of the bank’s stock worth $121,591,000 after buying an additional 88,886 shares in the last quarter. Water Island Capital LLC bought a new stake in Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter worth about $800,000. Finally, Dark Forest Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 2nd quarter worth about $601,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Lo B. Nestman sold 4,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total transaction of $220,064.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

Shares of HTLF traded down $0.41 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $59.91. The stock had a trading volume of 30,319 shares, compared to its average volume of 287,861. The firm has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a PE ratio of 36.34 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.00. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a one year low of $26.44 and a one year high of $61.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. The business had revenue of $272.79 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $189.51 million. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 11.11% and a net margin of 7.12%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.72 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 given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.29%.

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.