HTLD Company Profile and Key Details

Heartland Express, Inc. has 77.33 million shares outstanding. The public float is 54.00 million shares, elevated short interest at 6.31% of float. This equals 2.85 million shares. The short ratio is 4.51 days. Institutional investors hold 102.51% of the float. Insiders own 51.28%. CROUSE LAWRENCE D holds 4.31 million shares, GERDIN MICHAEL J has 1.49 million shares and Ann S. Gerdin Revocable Trust has 1.21 million shares. Over the past six months, insider transactions show balanced activity. They sold 31.40 thousand shares across 1 transactions.

Short-term trend indicators are bearishly aligned (SMA20 -1.3%, SMA50 6.5%, SMA200 24.24%). The stock’s 14-day RSI is 51.93 (neutral), while the ATR of 0.49 points to higher daily volatility. The stock remains hovering near 52-week lows, trading -8.56% below its high and over 58.54% above its low. Average 10-day trading volume of 586.12 thousand shares is below the 3-month average of 687.26 thousand, indicating normal recent market interest.

The latest quarter delivered EPS of $0.14. The next quarter is forecast at -$0.10. Next year's EPS is expected at $418.85. Analyst sentiment is bearish. Analyst rating data shows there are 2 Strong Buy ratings, 0 Buy ratings, 6 Hold ratings, 0 Sell rating and 7 Strong Sell ratings. Price targets range from $15.00 to $8.00. The high target offers 19.81% upside. The low target suggests -36.1% downside. The mean target is $11.13. This offers -11.1% upside. Heartland Express, Inc. earnings surprise history is a mixed track record. The quarter that ended July 30, 2026, missed forecasts by -4720.46%. The prior quarter beat by -53.85%. Over the last six quarters, Apple has recorded several small beats. These include 38.46% in April 30, 2025.

Heartland Express, Inc. last paid a dividend of 0.08 per share, this equals a trailing yield of roughly 0.67%. Dividend and splits history remains an important factor for investors monitoring long-term returns. A discounted cash flow model estimates fair value at around -$4.14. This means the shares are trading below this model’s fair value.

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) closed at $12.52 USD, gaining $0.07 (0.56%) from the previous close of $12.45. The stock is currently mid-range between its 52-week high and low $7.00 and $16.64. With a market capitalization of about $970.17 million, Heartland Express, Inc. is classified as a small-cap and shows higher-than-market volatility (beta ~1.33). Key stats such as the average daily volume over the past year has been around 688.75 thousand shares, in line with its 52-week average. Headquartered in North Liberty, IA, Heartland Express, Inc. operates in the Industrials sector and the Trucking industry. Led by CEO Michael J. Gerdin, the company employs approximately 3,630 people and listed since November 05, 1986. 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.

Heartland Express, Inc. trades at a P/E ratio of -44.4, slightly below the S&P 500 average, with a price-to-sales ratio of 1.32 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.28 suggesting the stock is closer to book value. The P/FCF stands at -11.32, also below market averages.

Our AI price prediction model suggests that Heartland Express, Inc. stock has strong potential for upside but may face short-term weakness followed by gains in the medium and long term. 2-Week Outlook: Projected decline of -1.76%, with price expected at $12.30 by September 28, 2026, within a range of $11.91 to $12.71 3-Month Outlook: Projected fall of -13.1%, reaching $10.88 by December 11, 2026, with a range of $10.19 to $11.45. 1-Year Outlook: Projected gain of 152.16%, with price at $31.57 by September 14, 2027, within a range of $21.91 to $44.99.

Heartland Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLD) shares are up 12.74% year-to-date currently trading near 52-week highs band. Short-term momentum has been positive over the last quarter, despite recent volatility. Valuation shows Heartland Express, Inc. trading at a premium to the broader market with a P/E of -44.4. Analyst sentiment is cautious, with the majority of ratings in Underweight territory and a mean price target of $15.03, suggesting 20.05% upside. Our AI forecast model points to short-term weakness (-1.76% over two weeks), a medium-term fall (-13.1% over three months), and a longer-term gain (152.16% over one year), with expected trading ranges indicating moderate volatility.