Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) Stock Position Boosted by Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.

Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 20.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 323,577 shares of the bank’s stock after acquiring an additional 55,949 shares during the period. Heartland Financial USA accounts for about 3.5% of Stieven Capital Advisors L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Stieven Capital Advisors L.P. owned approximately 0.75% of Heartland Financial USA worth $18,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 5.3% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 107,076 shares of the bank’s stock worth $6,071,000 after acquiring an additional 5,360 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP grew its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 13.6% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 83,489 shares of the bank’s stock worth $4,734,000 after acquiring an additional 9,982 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 39.3% during the third quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 41,042 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,327,000 after acquiring an additional 11,589 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 8.0% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 28,679 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,626,000 after acquiring an additional 2,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Heartland Financial USA by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 30,978 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,756,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Heartland Financial USA

In other Heartland Financial USA news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.32, for a total value of $1,537,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 60,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,136,161.12. This trade represents a 27.10 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HTLF opened at $65.58 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $58.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.47. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.67 and a 1-year high of $69.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.64 and a beta of 0.94.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17. Heartland Financial USA had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 8.79%. The company had revenue of $272.79 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.12 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Heartland Financial USA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Heartland Financial USA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.