Heartland Express Inc
Heartland Express Inc operates as a trucking company providing transportation services, primarily through its Heartland Express, Millis Transfer, and Smith Transport divisions, generating revenue from freight hauling and logistics solutions.
Business. Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) is a marine transportation company operating within the Freight & Logistics Services industry. The firm generates service revenue through marine freight and logistics activities, with performance typically measured by metrics such as fleet utilization and time-charter equivalent rates. The company is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Specific details regarding operating segments and geographic revenue mix are not provided.
Analyst recommendations
6 analysts · consensus HoldAt a glance
What drives this business
The watch-list the newsroom runs for this company — derived from its sector path, sharpened layer by layer. Not investment advice.
News & coverage
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Developing storylines
Analysis
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Upcoming catalysts
Scheduled public events. Informational only — not investment advice.
- Company
- EarningsQ3 2026 earnings (expected)2026-10-28 · estimated
- Peers
- EarningsQ3 2026 earnings (expected)2026-10-28 · estimated · Frontline (FRO)
- Macro
- Rate decisionBank of England rate decision (press conf.)2026-08-06 · GB
- Rate decisionReserve Bank of Australia rate decision (press conf.)2026-08-12 · AU
- Rate decisionNorges Bank rate decision (press conf.)2026-08-20 · NO
- Rate decisionSveriges Riksbank rate decision (press conf.)2026-09-03 · SE
- Rate decisionBank of Canada rate decision (press conf.)2026-09-09 · CA
- Rate decisionEuropean Central Bank rate decision (press conf.)2026-09-10 · EU
- Macro & political
- ElectionSE Swedish Election2026-09-14 · SE
- ElectionUS U.S. Midterms2026-11-03 · US
- ElectionFR French Legislative2027-06-01 · FR
- Congressional trades
- CongressJosh Gottheimer — Heartland Express, Inc. - Common2024-07-26 · Democrat · NJ · Sale · $1,001 - $15,000
Pre-earnings brief
Signals & dispatch
Composite-score breakdown
Synthesis
Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) is a marine transportation company operating within the Freight & Logistics Services industry. The firm generates service revenue through marine freight and logistics activities, with performance typically measured by metrics such as fleet utilization and time-charter equivalent rates. The company is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Specific details regarding operating segments and geographic revenue mix are not provided.
Heartland Express maintains a conservative capital structure with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.27, indicating adequate short-term liquidity despite a medium liquidity risk assessment. The company holds $44.49 million in cash and equivalents against $149.89 million in long-term debt, resulting in a net cash position that is negative after subtracting total debt. Operating cash flow stands at $23.15 million, supporting a free cash flow of $5.13 million after $18.02 million in capital expenditures. The market capitalization is $1.04 billion, with an EV/EBITDA multiple of 11.21 and an EV/Revenue multiple of 1.42.
Profitability remains under pressure, with a return on equity of -7.0% and a return on assets of -4.44%, reflecting a net income loss of $4.82 million on revenues of $176.26 million. The operating income is negative at -$3.29 million, indicating that operating costs currently exceed revenue generation. These returns are below typical industry benchmarks for profitable logistics firms, suggesting the company is in a transitional phase of margin compression or market softness. The negative profitability metrics contrast with the positive operating cash flow, highlighting the importance of working capital management and non-cash charges in the current period.
- Heartland Express reports a net loss of $4.82 million on $176.26 million in revenue, with negative operating income of $3.29 million.
- The company maintains a conservative debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 1.27, but faces medium liquidity risk due to negative net cash.
- Freight demand has been weak since 2023, but early 2026 shows signs of improvement with market capacity reductions.
- The company operates as a single reportable segment, consolidating its trucking operations across multiple divisions.
- Analysts maintain a Hold recommendation with a mean price target of $13.75, reflecting cautious optimism about the turnaround.
- Upcoming earnings on July 30, 2026, will be a key catalyst for assessing the sustainability of recent demand improvements.
Bull / Bear case
Generated · model-assistedLong-term debt decreased significantly to $154 million in FY2025, reducing leverage and strengthening the balance sheet position.
The debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21 is below the cohort median of 0.35, indicating a conservative capital structure relative to peers.
Credit risk is assessed as low, suggesting manageable default probabilities despite recent operational losses and negative margins.
Free cash flow volatility shows potential for recovery, having swung from negative $43 million in FY2023 to positive $35 million in FY2024.
Net margin of -6.5% and operating margin of -7.1% place the company in the bottom quartile of its peer cohort.
FY2025 free cash flow turned negative at -$67 million, reversing the positive $35 million generated in the prior fiscal year.
Medium dilution and liquidity risks persist, compounded by a current ratio of just 1.04 and negative interest coverage.
In focus — financials by report
Revenue $176.3M; Operating income -$3.3M.
- ▍Revenue $176.3M
- ▍Operating income -$3.3M
- ▍Net margin -2.7%
Revenue $626.4M; Operating income -$34.6M.
- ▍Revenue $626.4M
- ▍Operating income -$34.6M
- ▍Net margin -1.3%
Revenue $429.8M; Operating income -$27.3M.
- ▍Revenue $429.8M
- ▍Operating income -$27.3M
- ▍Net margin -2.5%
Revenue $805.7M; Operating income -$57.4M.
- ▍Revenue $805.7M
- ▍Operating income -$57.4M
- ▍Net margin -6.5%
Revenue $1.05B; Operating income -$20.2M.
- ▍Revenue $1.05B
- ▍Operating income -$20.2M
- ▍Net margin -2.8%
Revenue $1.05B; Operating income -$20.2M.
- ▍Revenue $1.05B
- ▍Operating income -$20.2M
- ▍Net margin -2.8%
Revenue $1.21B; Operating income $42.4M.
- ▍Revenue $1.21B
- ▍Operating income $42.4M
- ▍Net margin 1.2%
Revenue $1.21B; Operating income $42.4M.
- ▍Revenue $1.21B
- ▍Operating income $42.4M
- ▍Net margin 1.2%
Valuation FY
Revenue by segment
Business relationships
Supply chain
Peer comparison
Market position
Stress test
Predictor forecast
| Metric | Our forecast | Guidance | Consensus |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPS | —no estimate | —no estimate | -0,01 |
| Revenue | —no estimate | —no estimate | 745,2M USD |
| Operating income | —no estimate | —no estimate | 3,7M USD |
Options
Short squeeze
Earnings-call key lines
Consensus distribution
sell-side coverageEstimate revisions
consensus EPS · 26-week trendSell-side observations
Themes
ESG
Risk factors
- Net cash is negative after subtracting total debt.
- Source documents mention dilution or offering risk.
Benchmarks vs cohort
Corporate actions / M&A
FX exposure
Comparable transactions
Derivatives & instruments
Actions
Ask Handelsavisen
- Market data
- Regulatory filings
- Issuer disclosures
- Public news
- Earnings transcripts
- Consensus estimates
- ESG data
- Reference data
- Cash Conversion Ratiooperating_cash_flow / net_income
- Market Priceinput from market-data provider (delayed close or quote-shim mid)
- Ev To Revenueenterprise_value / revenue
- Net Cashcash_and_equivalents + short_term_investments - short_term_debt - long_term_debt
- Return On Equitynet_income / total_equity
- Market Capmarket_price * shares_outstanding_diluted
- HEARTLAND EXPRESS INC company facts · 2026-07-29
- HEARTLAND EXPRESS INC 10-Q 2026-05-11 · 2026-07-29
- HEARTLAND EXPRESS INC 10-K 2026-03-03 · 2026-07-29
- HEARTLAND EXPRESS INC 10-Q 2025-11-10 · 2026-07-29
- HEARTLAND EXPRESS INC 10-Q 2025-08-08 · 2026-07-29
- allocator_boost (allocator) on HTLD · 2026-07-29
- Heartland Express Inc Market data — analyst estimates · 2026-07-29
- Heartland Express Inc Market data — ESG · 2026-07-29
- HEARTLAND EXPRESS INC HA canonical relationships · 2026-07-29
Ownership & reference
Top holders
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,01 %$19M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,01 %$40M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$6M
- Institutional Investor · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$10M
- Investment Managers · as of 2024-06-300,00 %$87M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$4M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$11M
- Investment Managers · as of 2024-12-310,00 %$5M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$2M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$6M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$7M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$12M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$22M
- Funds · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$4M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$5M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$2M
- Institutional Investor · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$3M
- Investment Managers · as of 2025-12-310,00 %$27M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$5M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Institutional Investor · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Brokerage Firms · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Institutional Investor · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
Insider activity
- Director · Common StockSold 31 402 @ $15,67$492K · 2026-06-15
- Director · Common StockBought 2 000 @ $15,69$31K · 2026-06-10
- Director, Chief Executive Officer, 10% owner, Co-Trustee of 10% Owner · Common StockOther 4 474 456 · 2026-05-19
- 10% owner, Co-Trustee of 10% Owner · Common StockOther 4 474 456 · 2026-05-19
- Vice President/CFO/Treasurer · Common StockOther 500 · 2026-05-15
- CAO and Secretary · Common StockOther 500 · 2026-05-15
- CAO and Secretary · Common StockOther 167 @ $13,30$2K · 2026-05-15
- Chief Operating Officer · Common StockOther 500 · 2026-05-15
- Chief Operating Officer · Common StockOther 167 @ $13,30$2K · 2026-05-15
- VP of Information Technology · Common StockOther 500 · 2026-05-15
- VP of Information Technology · Common StockOther 167 @ $13,30$2K · 2026-05-15
- 10% owner, Co-Trustee of 10% Owner · Common StockOther 500 · 2026-05-15
- Director, President of Millis Transfer · Common StockOther 746 @ $13,03$10K · 2026-04-24
- Director, President of Millis Transfer · Common StockOther 2 000 · 2026-04-24
- Director, President of Millis Transfer · Common StockOther 2 866 · 2026-04-22
- Director, President of Millis Transfer · Common StockOther 1 069 @ $11,58$12K · 2026-04-22
- 10% owner, Co-Trustee of 10% Owner · Common StockOther 10 000 000 · 2025-12-01
- Director, Chief Executive Officer, 10% owner, Co-Trustee of 10% Owner · Common StockOther 10 000 000 · 2025-12-01
- Director, President of Millis Transfer · Common StockOther 3 929 @ $8,37$33K · 2025-10-22
- Director, President of Millis Transfer · Common StockOther 11 947 · 2025-10-22
- Chief Operating Officer · Common StockOther 70 @ $8,33$583 · 2025-10-01
- SVP and CFO of CFI · Common StockOther 70 @ $8,33$583 · 2025-10-01
- Director, Chief Executive Officer, 10% owner, Co-Trustee of 10% Owner · Common StockBought 24 798 @ $8,19$203K · 2025-08-18
- Director, Chief Executive Officer, 10% owner, Co-Trustee of 10% Owner · Common StockBought 3 888 @ $8,20$32K · 2025-08-15
- Director, Chief Executive Officer, 10% owner, Co-Trustee of 10% Owner · Common StockBought 1 314 @ $8,20$11K · 2025-08-14
Short positioning
Geographic breakdown
Intel & risk
Evidence & claims
From filings & derived data- Long-term debt (annual): USD 154.06MUnknown
- Shareholders' equity (annual): USD 755.32MUnknown
- Net income (annual): USD -52.45MUnknown
- Operating income (annual): USD -57.41MUnknown
- Total assets (annual): USD 1.19BUnknown
- EPS (diluted) (annual): USD-PER-SHARES -1Unknown
- Operating cash flow (annual): USD 89.31MUnknown
- Cash & equivalents (annual): USD 18.48MUnknown
- Shares outstanding (annual): 77.44MUnknown
- Current liabilities (annual): USD 110.16MUnknown
- Revenue (annual): USD 805.71MUnknown
- Current assets (annual): USD 114.6MUnknown
- EPS (basic) (annual): USD-PER-SHARES -1Unknown
- Capex (annual): USD 156.17MUnknown
- Pre-tax income (annual): USD -68.13MUnknown
- Shareholders' equity (annual): USD 822.6MUnknown
- EPS (diluted) (annual): USD-PER-SHARES -0Unknown
- Current liabilities (annual): USD 119.56MUnknown
- Revenue (annual): USD 1.05BUnknown
- Current assets (annual): USD 129.45MUnknown
- Long-term debt (annual): USD 187.91MUnknown
- Cash & equivalents (annual): USD 12.81MUnknown
- Operating income (annual): USD -20.24MUnknown
- Shares outstanding (annual): 78.52MUnknown