Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) Stock Price & Analysis
Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) closed at USD 10.29 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 0.29% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 10.26; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 10.08–10.52 on volume of 583,435 shares. Market capitalization is $795.75M, with a 52-week range of USD 7–16.64 (NMS). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/HTLD.md
Key facts (HTLD)
- Last four reported quarters (through Jun 30, 2026): revenue $736M, net income -$22.0M (-3.0% margin), free cash flow -$85.8M (SEC filings).
- 1 of 80 tracked superinvestors hold HTLD (13F, Q2 2026): 0 new, 1 added, 0 reduced, 0 unchanged.
- Analysts: Sell (mean 3.67 on a 1–5 scale) (6 analysts), mean target USD 12.2 (range 12–13).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y +28.4% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y -36.4% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-10-20, EPS estimate USD 0.04, revenue estimate $177M.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (HTLD)
| USD | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $607M | $968M | $1.21B | $1.05B | $806M | $736M |
| Operating income | $105M | $188M | $42.4M | -$20.2M | -$57.4M | -$16.8M |
| Net income | $79.3M | $134M | $14.8M | -$29.7M | -$52.5M | -$22.0M |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.00 | $1.69 | $0.19 | -$0.38 | -$0.67 | — |
| Free cash flow | -$9.2M | $34.1M | -$43.3M | $34.8M | -$66.9M | -$85.8M |
| Operating margin | 17.4% | 19.5% | 3.5% | -1.9% | -7.1% | -2.3% |
| Net margin | 13.1% | 13.8% | 1.2% | -2.8% | -6.5% | -3.0% |
| Revenue growth | -5.9% | +59.4% | +24.7% | -13.2% | -23.1% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $158M | $49.5M | $28.1M | $12.8M | $18.5M | — |
| Total debt | $0K | $413M | $300M | $201M | $160M | — |
Fiscal years end Dec. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Jun 30, 2026) (HTLD)
P/S 1.1x · EV/EBITDA 6.9x · EV/Sales 1.2x · P/B 1.1x · FCF yield -10.78% · Earnings yield -2.76% · Dividend yield (paid, TTM) 0.77% · Net debt $72.5M · EV $868M
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Dec 2023 76.3x.
Superinvestors (SEC 13F-HR, Q2 2026) (HTLD)
1 of 80 tracked investors hold HTLD. Each row is the investor's latest 13F; change is vs their prior-quarter share count.
| Investor | Firm | % of portfolio | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tweedy Browne | 0.16% | $2.1M | Added +9.1% |
Analysts (HTLD)
Consensus Sell (mean 3.67 on a 1–5 scale), 6 analysts; mean target USD 12.2 (low 12, high 13).
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-21 | UBS | Target lowered | Neutral | $13 → $12 |
| 2026-10-20 | Baird | Downgrade | Outperform → Neutral | $16 → $12 |
| 2026-08-13 | Barclays | Target lowered | Underweight | $14 → $12 |
| 2026-08-06 | UBS | Target raised | Neutral | $12 → $13 |
| 2026-07-31 | JP Morgan | Target raised | Underweight | $11 → $12 |
| 2026-07-06 | Morgan Stanley | Target raised | Equal-Weight | $12 → $13 |
| 2026-06-26 | Barclays | Target raised | Underweight | $12 → $14 |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (HTLD)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | +28.4% | -36.4% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | +28.6% | -8.6% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 39.0% | 32.0% |
| Max drawdown | -36.5% (Jun 2026→Oct 2026) | -55.9% (Nov 2021→Nov 2025) |
HTLD analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Dec 2026) | $0.04 | $0.03 | +48.0% | $176.9M | 3 |
| Next quarter (ends Mar 2027) | $0.06 | $0.05 | +20.0% | $188.5M | 1 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Dec 2026) | $0.13 | $0.04 | +250.3% | $716.8M | 3 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Dec 2027) | $0.44 | $0.55 | -20.4% | $752.0M | 4 |
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC)
| Price | USD 10.29 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 0.29% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 10.26 |
| Open | USD 10.08 |
| Day Range | USD 10.08 – 10.52 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 7 – 16.64 |
| Volume | 583,435 shares |
| Market Cap | $795.75M |
| Exchange | NMS |
Technical Analysis (HTLD)
Nexqual's technical model rates HTLD "SELL" based on 2 bullish and 5 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
| Overall Signal | SELL |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 26.12 (oversold) |
| vs SMA50 | Below (USD 11.81) |
| MACD | -0.43 (negative) |
Analyst Ratings (HTLD)
Wall Street analysts rate HTLD "Sell" based on 6 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 12.2 (range USD 12–13), per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Sell |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 6 |
| Mean Target | USD 12.2 |
| High Target | USD 13 |
| Low Target | USD 12 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 0 / 4 / 2 |
Earnings (HTLD)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-10-20 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD 0.04 |
| Revenue Estimate | $176.86M |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-30 | USD 0.01 vs est 0.03 ▼ miss |
| 2026-06-30 | USD 0.14 vs est -0.01 ▲ beat |
| 2026-03-31 | USD -0.06 vs est -0.13 ▲ beat |
| 2025-12-31 | USD -0.06 vs est -0.08 ▲ beat |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (HTLD)
| Total Revenue | $719.24M |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | -8.70% |
| Gross Margin | +27.54% |
| Operating Margin | -3.08% |
| Profit Margin | -1.77% |
| ROE | -1.66% |
| Debt / Equity | 0.15 |
| Current Ratio | 0.77 |
| Total Cash | $48.50M |
| Total Debt | $114.18M |
| Free Cash Flow (last four quarters to Jun 2026, SEC 10-Q / 10-K) | -$85.77M (-11.6% of revenue) |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
Financial Health Score (HTLD)
Nexqual rates Heartland Express, Inc.'s overall financial health "Weak" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
| Growth | Critical — Revenue -23% YoY (annual), sharp decline |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Weak — Gross margin 28%, operating -3% (last 12 months) |
| Balance Sheet | Solid — $62M cash and investments vs $135M debt (Jun 2026, SEC) |
| Cash Flow | Weak — FCF negative: -$86M (last 4 quarters to Jun 2026, SEC), burning cash |
| Efficiency | Critical — ROE -2%, ROA -2.1% |
Ownership (HTLD)
| Insider Ownership | +51.47% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +51.22% |
| Shares Outstanding | 77.33M |
| Float | 53.87M |
| Short % of Float | +7.91% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
Leadership (HTLD)
Heartland Express, Inc. is led by Michael J. Gerdin, Chairman of the Board, President & CEO, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
| Chairman of the Board, President & CEO | Michael J. Gerdin |
|---|---|
| VP of Finance, Treasurer & CFO | Christopher Alan Strain |
| Chief Operating Officer | Kent Daryl Rigdon |
| Vice President of Sales | Brian J. Janssen |
Major Backers & Investors (HTLD)
Notable institutional backers of Heartland Express, Inc. include American Century Companies Inc, Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership, Two Sigma Investments, LP, according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| American Century Companies Inc | 2.24% |
| Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership | 1.78% |
| Two Sigma Investments, LP | 1.77% |
| Ameriprise Financial, Inc. | 1.42% |
| DFA INVESTMENT DIMENSIONS GROUP INC-U.S. Small Cap Value Portfolio | 1.34% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| BlackRock | 8.88% |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors | 5.18% |
| Vanguard Group | 2.67% |
| State Street | 2.56% |
| Geode Capital | 1.52% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVLG | Covenant Logistics Group, Inc. | USD 29.77 | ▼ 0.43% |
| MRTN | Marten Transport, Ltd. | USD 12.3 | ▼ 2.84% |
| ULH | Universal Logistics Holdings, I | USD 17.35 | ▲ 4.33% |
| WERN | Werner Enterprises, Inc. | USD 29.18 | ▼ 2.34% |
| ARCB | ArcBest Corporation | USD 130.3 | ▼ 0.39% |
| RXO | RXO, Inc. | USD 28.92 | ▲ 0.49% |
Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 09:25 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
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