Heartland Express (HTLD) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: $597.59M
• Dividend Yield: 1.05%
• Average Volume (3M): 559.76K
• Price to Earnings (P/E): ―
• Beta (1Y): 0.95
• Revenue Growth: -19.56%
• EPS Growth: -54.39%
• Country: US
• Employees: 5,220
• Sector: Industrials
• Sector Strength: 72
• Industry: Trucking
• EPS (TTM): -0.11
• Shares Outstanding: 77,408,226
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 598,247
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 559,765
• PEG Ratio: 0.10
• Price to Book (P/B): 1.07
• Price to Sales (P/S): 0.84
• P/FCF Ratio: 25.38
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: 1.35
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: 0.86
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: -38.81
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: 5.77
• 1Y Price Target: $8.75
• Price Target Upside: 14.98% Upside
• Rating Consensus: Moderate Sell
• Number of Analyst Covering: 4
• EPS Forecast (FY): -0.52
• Revenue Forecast (FY): $849.88M

• Rating: 48 Neutral
• Price Target: $8.00 ▲(5.12% Upside)

Heartland Express is facing significant financial and technical challenges. Declining revenues and profitability, coupled with weak market momentum, are major concerns. The negative P/E ratio further underscores the company's current struggles. While the balance sheet shows manageable leverage, the overall outlook remains cautious.

Positive Factors

Stable Gross Profit Margin

A stable gross profit margin indicates operational efficiency, which can help the company maintain competitiveness despite revenue challenges.

Manageable Leverage

Moderate leverage provides financial flexibility and reduces risk, enabling the company to navigate economic fluctuations more effectively.

Strong Reputation

A strong reputation enhances client retention and attracts new business, supporting long-term revenue stability and growth potential.

Negative Factors

Declining Revenue Growth

Declining revenue growth can limit the company's ability to invest in new opportunities and maintain its market position, impacting long-term prospects.

Negative Free Cash Flow Growth

Negative free cash flow growth indicates cash constraints, which can hinder the company's ability to fund operations and strategic initiatives.

Profitability Challenges

Profitability challenges reduce financial resilience and limit the company's capacity to weather economic downturns or invest in growth.

Heartland Express Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) is a leading transportation and logistics company based in the United States, specializing in the trucking industry. Founded in 1978, the company operates primarily in the long-haul truckload sector, providing services such as freight transportation across North America. Heartland Express focuses on delivering dry van freight, serving a wide range of industries including retail, manufacturing, and consumer goods, while also emphasizing safety, efficiency, and customer service as core pillars of its operations.

How the Company Makes Money

Heartland Express generates revenue primarily through its freight transportation services, charging customers for moving goods over long distances using its fleet of trucks. The company operates on a per-mile basis and also utilizes contracts with shippers to ensure consistent revenue streams. Key revenue streams include spot market loads, dedicated contract services, and regional freight services. Additionally, Heartland Express benefits from a strong reputation for reliability and safety, which helps maintain long-term relationships with clients. The company may also leverage partnerships with logistics firms and freight brokers to maximize its load capacity and optimize routes, further enhancing its revenue potential.

Heartland Express Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Heartland Express faces declining revenue growth and profitability challenges, with negative net profit and EBIT margins. Despite a stable gross profit margin and manageable leverage, significant negative free cash flow growth is a concern.

Income Statement

Heartland Express has experienced declining revenue growth, with a negative growth rate of -6.46% in the TTM period. The company also faces profitability challenges, as indicated by negative net profit and EBIT margins. However, the gross profit margin remains relatively stable at 46.95% in the TTM period, suggesting some operational efficiency.

Balance Sheet

The company's balance sheet shows moderate leverage with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25 in the TTM period, which is manageable. However, the return on equity is negative, reflecting recent profitability issues. The equity ratio is stable, indicating a solid capital structure.

Cash Flow

Heartland Express has faced significant challenges in cash flow, with a negative free cash flow growth rate of -390.42% in the TTM period. The operating cash flow to net income ratio is healthy, but the negative free cash flow to net income ratio indicates cash flow constraints.

Breakdown	TTM	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue	932.24M	1.05B	1.21B	968.00M	607.28M	645.26M
Gross Profit	-20.73M	110.16M	145.28M	401.93M	227.87M	147.46M
EBITDA	139.36M	162.43M	243.08M	224.50M	210.13M	204.20M
Net Income	-35.86M	-29.72M	14.78M	133.58M	79.28M	70.81M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	1.30B	1.33B	1.51B	1.67B	928.54M	951.18M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	22.88M	12.81M	28.12M	49.46M	157.74M	113.85M
Total Debt	198.45M	208.61M	317.44M	433.96M	0.00	0.00
Total Liabilities	512.63M	511.59M	644.39M	814.01M	201.44M	226.84M
Stockholders Equity	786.74M	822.60M	865.26M	855.48M	727.10M	724.33M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	-31.42M	34.81M	-43.33M	34.15M	-9.22M	-25.49M
Operating Cash Flow	120.22M	144.35M	165.27M	194.71M	123.42M	178.85M
Investing Cash Flow	-61.23M	-46.54M	-67.87M	-663.26M	-2.65M	-111.05M
Financing Cash Flow	-59.57M	-112.71M	-120.69M	359.26M	-78.14M	-32.74M

Heartland Express Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Negative
• Last Price: 7.61
• 50DMA: Negative
• 100DMA: Negative
• 200DMA: Negative
• MACD: Positive
• RSI: Neutral
• STOCH: Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For HTLD, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 7.61 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 7.99, below the 50-day MA of 8.30, and below the 200-day MA of 8.88, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.20 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 38.83 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 26.51 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for HTLD.

Heartland Express Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
Sector *	63 Neutral	$10.79B	15.43	7.44%	2.01%	2.89%	-14.66%
ARCB	62 Neutral	$1.61B	16.79	7.40%	0.65%	-5.34%	-48.16%
CVLG	59 Neutral	$505.65M	17.02	6.84%	1.37%	1.62%	-22.52%
WERN	59 Neutral	$1.57B	64.63	1.78%	2.19%	-3.42%	―
ULH	57 Neutral	$425.49M	6.98	9.67%	2.74%	-5.55%	-52.21%
MRTN	54 Neutral	$816.02M	42.09	2.53%	2.45%	-9.74%	-42.57%
HTLD	48 Neutral	$597.59M	―	-4.35%	1.05%	-19.56%	-54.39%

Heartland Express Corporate Events

Heartland Express Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend

On September 12, 2025, Heartland Express, Inc. announced the declaration of a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.02 per share, to be paid on October 3, 2025, to shareholders of record as of September 23, 2025. This marks the company’s eighty-ninth consecutive quarterly dividend, totaling $559.9 million in cash dividends since the program’s inception in 2003, reflecting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

The most recent analyst rating on (HTLD) stock is a Hold with a $8.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Heartland Express stock, see the HTLD Stock Forecast page.