Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) is Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P’s 2nd Largest Position

Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P reduced its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:HTLF) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 297,825 shares of the bank’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. Heartland Financial USA accounts for about 4.4% of Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Gardner Lewis Asset Management L P’s holdings in Heartland Financial USA were worth $18,258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HTLF. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Heartland Financial USA during the 4th quarter worth about $53,132,000. Chicago Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Heartland Financial USA by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Chicago Capital Management LLC now owns 224,902 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $13,788,000 after buying an additional 13,431 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Heartland Financial USA by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,154,888 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $193,410,000 after acquiring an additional 46,937 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Heartland Financial USA by 254.0% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 13,978 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $857,000 after acquiring an additional 10,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Heartland Financial USA in the fourth quarter worth $546,000. 71.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Heartland Financial USA Stock Performance

Heartland Financial USA stock opened at $64.67 on Friday. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.97 and a fifty-two week high of $70.27. The company has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $65.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Heartland Financial USA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis 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 shares of Heartland Financial USA in a research note on Sunday, March 23rd. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

About Heartland Financial USA

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.