Heartland Express (HTLD)
NASDAQ:HTLD
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Heartland Express
(NASDAQ:HTLD)
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Rating:57Neutral
Price Target:
$16.50
â–²(41.87% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:05/15/26
The score is held back primarily by weak financial performance (losses and negative free cash flow), partially offset by a strong technical uptrend and modestly supportive corporate actions (continued dividend and governance stability). Valuation remains unfavorable due to negative earnings.
Positive Factors
Conservative balance sheet
Low leverage (debt-to-equity ~0.20) provides durable financial flexibility in the cyclical trucking industry. It reduces refinancing risk, supports continued dividend payments, and preserves capacity to fund fleet investment or absorb shocks while earnings recover over the medium term.
Negative Factors
Revenue decline
A sustained revenue decline (~5.4% YoY TTM) indicates weaker freight volumes or pricing mix. Over a multi-month horizon this erodes operating leverage in an industry with high fixed costs, making margin recovery harder without structural improvements to pricing, network or mix.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Conservative balance sheet
Low leverage (debt-to-equity ~0.20) provides durable financial flexibility in the cyclical trucking industry. It reduces refinancing risk, supports continued dividend payments, and preserves capacity to fund fleet investment or absorb shocks while earnings recover over the medium term.
Read all positive factors
Heartland Express (HTLD) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$1.25B
Dividend Yield0.87%
Average Volume (3M)609.23K
Price to Earnings (P/E)―
Beta (1Y)0.94
Revenue Growth-23.49%
EPS Growth-54.25%
CountryUS
Employees5,220
SectorIndustrials
Sector Strength72
IndustryTrucking
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)-0.56
Shares Outstanding77,489,690
10 Day Avg. Volume762,387
30 Day Avg. Volume609,233
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio-0.18
Price to Book (P/B)0.93
Price to Sales (P/S)0.87
P/FCF Ratio-10.52
Enterprise Value/Market Cap1.02
Enterprise Value/Revenue1.67
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit18.30
Enterprise Value/Ebitda11.79
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$12.20Price Target Upside4.90% Upside
Rating ConsensusHold
Number of Analyst Covering5
EPS Forecast (FY)0.01
Revenue Forecast (FY)$746.59M
Heartland Express Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
Heartland Express, Inc., operating with its subsidiaries, functions as a transportation company primarily focusing on short to medium-distance truckload freight across the United States and Canada. The firm's main services encompass extensive asse...
How the Company Makes Money
Heartland Express makes money primarily by providing for-hire truckload transportation services and charging customers freight rates to haul full truckload shipments. Revenue is generally generated on a per-load basis and/or based on mileage, with...
Heartland Express Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
33
Negative
Balance Sheet
66
Positive
Cash Flow
52
Neutral
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 762.54M | 805.71M | 1.05B | 1.21B | 968.00M | 607.28M |
| Gross Profit | 69.40M | 67.54M | 110.16M | 145.28M | 200.69M | 128.24M |
| EBITDA | 107.77M | 102.56M | 162.43M | 243.08M | 322.69M | 210.28M |
| Net Income | -43.40M | -52.45M | -29.72M | 14.78M | 133.58M | 79.28M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 1.18B | 1.19B | 1.33B | 1.51B | 1.67B | 928.54M |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 44.49M | 18.48M | 12.81M | 28.12M | 50.21M | 157.74M |
| Total Debt | 153.16M | 161.42M | 208.61M | 317.44M | 433.96M | 0.00 |
| Total Liabilities | 431.89M | 436.30M | 511.59M | 644.39M | 814.01M | 201.44M |
| Stockholders Equity | 749.03M | 755.32M | 822.60M | 865.26M | 855.48M | 727.10M |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | -64.00M | -66.85M | 34.81M | -43.33M | 34.15M | -9.22M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 86.62M | 89.31M | 144.35M | 165.27M | 194.71M | 123.42M |
| Investing Cash Flow | 426.00K | -26.00M | -46.54M | -67.87M | -663.26M | -2.65M |
| Financing Cash Flow | -66.66M | -58.15M | -112.71M | -120.69M | 359.26M | -78.14M |
Heartland Express Technical Analysis
Positive
11.63
Price Trends
13.28
Positive
11.95
Positive
10.25
Positive
Market Momentum
0.85
Negative
70.67
Negative
66.37
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For HTLD, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 11.63 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 15.04, below the 50-day MA of 13.28, and above the 200-day MA of 10.25, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 0.85 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 70.67 is Negative, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 66.37 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for HTLD.
Heartland Express Risk Analysis
Heartland Express disclosed 31 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Heartland Express reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
Heartland Express Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (63)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
63 Neutral | $10.79B | 15.43 | 7.44% | 2.01% | 2.89% | -14.66% | |
60 Neutral | $1.48B | 102.15 | 1.89% | 2.07% | -7.81% | -33.01% | |
58 Neutral | $3.85B | 69.11 | 4.30% | 0.62% | -1.65% | -67.84% | |
57 Neutral | $1.25B | -28.75 | -5.66% | 0.87% | -23.49% | -54.25% | |
54 Neutral | $2.64B | -307.74 | -0.62% | 1.84% | 3.28% | -154.33% | |
53 Neutral | $1.14B | 223.70 | 1.23% | 1.23% | 7.15% | -87.09% | |
46 Neutral | $451.98M | -4.13 | -18.94% | 2.76% | -11.11% | -231.01% |
* Industrials Sector Average
HTLD
Heartland Express
16.11
7.23
81.42%
CVLG
Covenant Logistics Group
45.45
22.60
98.86%
MRTN
Marten Transport
18.16
5.16
39.71%
WERN
Werner Enterprises
43.96
16.17
58.19%
ARCB
ArcBest
173.04
104.17
151.25%
ULH
Universal Logistics
17.14
-6.83
-28.49%
Heartland Express Corporate Events
Executive/Board Changes
Heartland Express Adjusts Executive Salaries and Stock Awards
Neutral
May 19, 2026
On May 14, 2026, Heartland Express, Inc.’s Compensation Committee approved modest base salary increases for three named executive officers, including the chief financial officer, chief operating officer, and chief administrative officer, eff...
Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Heartland Express Shareholders Reaffirm Board and Governance Plans
Positive
May 15, 2026
At the May 14, 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Heartland Express, Inc., seven directors were elected to serve on the Board until the 2027 annual meeting, reaffirming the company’s existing leadership structure. Stockholders also ratif...
Executive/Board Changes
Heartland Express Announces Millis Transfer President’s Retirement
Neutral
Apr 22, 2026
On April 16, 2026, Heartland Express director and Millis Transfer President David P. Millis notified the company that he will retire from his role as president effective April 24, 2026, though he will remain on the board. In connection with his re...
Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Heartland Express Announces Planned Board Leadership Transition
Neutral
Apr 1, 2026
On March 25, 2026, Heartland Express, Inc. disclosed that longtime director Dr. Benjamin J. Allen has decided not to stand for re-election at the company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, ending a 31-year tenure on the board. He will co...
Dividends
Heartland Express Declares Regular Quarterly Cash Dividend
Positive
Mar 18, 2026
On March 13, 2026, Heartland Express, Inc. announced that its board declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.02 per share, payable on April 3, 2026, to shareholders of record as of March 24, 2026. The payout is expected to total approximat...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.