Heartland Express (HTLD) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue and EPS Drop, Operating Cash Flow Surges

Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) reported first-quarter 2026 results that showed a notable revenue decline and margin compression, offset by a large improvement in operating cash flow.

Revenue: $176.3 million (down 19.7% year‑over‑year).

Cost of sales: $128.1 million (up 48.7% year‑over‑year), contributing to tighter gross margins.

Gross profit: $48.1 million (down 63.9% year‑over‑year).

Operating result: loss of $3.3 million (operating profit declined 77.9% year‑over‑year).

Net result and per‑share: net loss attributable to common shareholders of $4.8 million (down 65.3% YoY); diluted EPS -$0.06 (down 66.7% YoY).

Cash flow and balance-sheet items highlight stronger liquidity and heavier investment during the quarter:

Cash from operating activities: $153.6 million (up 494.5% year‑over‑year).

Purchases of property, plant and equipment: $50.7 million (up 115.1% year‑over‑year), indicating increased capital spending.

Cash and cash equivalents at quarter end: $44.5 million (up 86.4% year‑over‑year).

In summary, HTLD’s first-quarter results show weaker revenue and profitability but a marked improvement in operating cash generation and higher capital investment, suggesting operational cash resilience amid margin pressure.

Note: This financials data is sourced from a third-party provider and has not been independently verified by Quiver.

Heartland Express Inc. Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 86 institutional investors add shares of Heartland Express Inc. stock to their portfolio, and 79 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

VANGUARD GROUP INC removed 860,920 shares (-22.1%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $7,774,107
MAGNOLIA GROUP, LLC removed 484,700 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $4,376,841
WALLACE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INC. added 374,874 shares (+65.6%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $3,385,112
PUNCH & ASSOCIATES INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC. added 290,000 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $2,618,700
BLACKROCK, INC. added 239,304 shares (+3.6%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $2,160,915
AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC added 208,910 shares (+26.1%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $1,886,457
MORGAN STANLEY removed 204,886 shares (-30.9%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $1,850,120

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.

Heartland Express Inc. Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $HTLD in the last several months. We have seen 0 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 1 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Barclays issued a "Underweight" rating on 01/15/2026

To track analyst ratings and price targets for Heartland Express Inc., check out Quiver Quantitative's $HTLD forecast page.

Heartland Express Inc. Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $HTLD recently. We have seen 6 analysts offer price targets for $HTLD in the last 6 months, with a median target of $12.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Brandon Oglenski from Barclays set a target price of $12.0 on 04/28/2026
Dan Moore from Baird set a target price of $15.0 on 04/24/2026
Brian Ossenbeck from JP Morgan set a target price of $10.0 on 04/24/2026
Thomas Wadewitz from UBS set a target price of $12.0 on 04/24/2026
Ravi Shanker from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $8.0 on 12/08/2025