Empowered Funds LLC Grows Position in Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF)

Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 112,479 shares of the bank’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,403 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $6,896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Heartland Financial USA by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 31,035 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,916,000 after buying an additional 7,291 shares during the period. Tanager Wealth Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 4th quarter worth about $256,000. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC increased its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Heartland Financial USA in the 4th quarter worth about $294,000. Finally, USA Financial Formulas raised its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 90.4% in the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 2,018 shares of the bank’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 958 shares during the period. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Heartland Financial USA

In other news, Director Jennifer K. Hopkins sold 5,811 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.56, for a total value of $392,591.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,963 shares in the company, valued at $470,420.28. This represents a 45.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Mark A. Frank sold 432 shares of Heartland Financial USA stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.24, for a total value of $29,047.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,060 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,274.40. The trade was a 28.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Down 2.2 %

HTLF opened at $64.67 on Tuesday. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.03 and a twelve month high of $70.27. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $64.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 0.98.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 14th. Heartland Financial USA’s payout ratio is 67.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Heartland Financial USA in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

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.