Phocas Financial Corp. Sells 5,134 Shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Phocas Financial Corp. decreased its stake in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 82,693 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 5,134 shares during the period. Phocas Financial Corp.’s holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $4,689,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. USA Financial Formulas increased its position in Heartland Financial USA by 28.0% in the third quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 1,060 shares of the bank’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 11,378 shares of the bank’s stock worth $506,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $1,756,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Heartland Financial USA by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 7,600 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 598 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 4.7% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 22,119 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $983,000 after purchasing an additional 984 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.55% of the company’s stock.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

NASDAQ HTLF opened at $65.32 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 36.49 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $58.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.53. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.67 and a 1 year high of $69.91.

Heartland Financial USA (NASDAQ:HTLF) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The bank reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 EPS. Analysts predict that Heartland Financial USA, Inc. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. 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 Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research note on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John K. Schmidt sold 22,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.