Zacks Investment Research·Oct 23, 2026
Implied Volatility Surging for Heartland Express Stock OptionsInvestors need to pay close attention to HTLD stock based on the movements in the options market lately.
Heartland Express's quarterly revenue has contracted to $184.1M in Q2 2026, roughly 12.5% below the prior-year quarter, while gross margin remained thin at 2.7% in Q3 2026, suggesting cost of revenue continues to absorb nearly all sales.
Price trend, volume and key moving averages
Trailing total returns as of 11/8/2026, which may include dividends or other distributions. Benchmark is S&P 500 (^GSPC).
Check whether operating performance supports the current valuation.
Recent results and news deserve attention only when they alter the forward view.
| Quarter | EPS (Act vs Est) | Revenue (Act vs Est) |
|---|---|---|
Q4 2026Latest Oct 20, 2026 | $0.01-62.1% vs $0.03 | $180M-1.0% vs $181M |
Q3 2026 Jul 30, 2026 | $0.14+4720.5% vs -$0.00 | $184M-0.5% vs $185M |
Q2 2026 Apr 23, 2026 | -$0.06+53.8% vs -$0.13 | $176M+0.6% vs $175M |
Q1 2026 Feb 3, 2026 | -$0.25-257.1% vs -$0.07 | $179M-6.6% vs $192M |
Investors need to pay close attention to HTLD stock based on the movements in the options market lately.
Heartland Express is rated Hold with a bearish bias due to reliance on equipment sales for profitability, not core operations. HTLD's operating ratio remains above 100% without equipment gains, signaling ongoing core business weakness despite cost reductions and debt paydown. Stock trades near book value, but tangible book value is much lower; valuation appears stretched at ~23x 2027 EPS, with limited dividend yield.
Although the revenue and EPS for Heartland Express (HTLD) give a sense of how its business performed in the quarter ended September 2026, it might be worth considering how some key metrics compare with Wall Street estimates and the year-ago numbers.
NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heartland Express, Inc. (Nasdaq: HTLD) announced today financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2026. Three months ended September 30, 2026: Operating Revenue of $179.5 million , Net Income of $1.0 million , Basic Earnings per Share of $0.01 , Operating Ratio of 98.7% (a 500bp improvement to Q3 2025) and 97.6% Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Ratio (1) , Purchased 183,371 shares of our common stock for $2.2 million, Payments of $35 million to reduce outstanding acquisition-related debt, Total Assets of $1.1 billion , including $48.5 million of Cash, Stockholders' Equity of $754.1 million.
Benchmark HTLD against direct peers instead of judging its metrics in isolation.
Key metrics vs top competitors for Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD)
| Company | Price | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | Rev Growth (1Y) | Net Margin | ROE | Div Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.09 | $781.87M | -61.37 | -23.08% | -1.77% | -1.69% | 0.79% | |
| $26.95 | $1.62B | -85.07 | -1.84% | -0.56% | -1.39% | 2.09% | |
| $11.74 | $957.86M | 71.94 | -8.31% | 1.55% | 1.74% | 1.53% | |
| $27.81 | $4.87B | 34.60 | 7.25% | 2.38% | 4.65% | 1.37% | |
| $58.41 | $9.49B | 62.20 | 0.8% | 1.92% | 2.17% | 1.23% | |
| $217.55 | $20.51B | 30.46 | -0.73% | 5.07% | 18.71% | 0.8% |
Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) vs competitors — business, growth, and fundamentals comparison against the closest industry rivals.
Verify the primary filings, follow material updates, and answer the remaining questions.
Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) SEC filings — annual & quarterly reports (10-K, 10-Q)
Oct 21, 2026·SEC
Aug 5, 2026·SEC
Jun 17, 2026·SEC
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Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) stock FAQ — growth, dividends, profitability & financials explained
Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) reported $719.2M in revenue over the trailing twelve months. Revenue was $805.7M in fiscal year 2025. That is 252% more than the $229.0M of fiscal year 1996.
Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) revenue fell by 17.2% over the trailing twelve months, compared with the twelve months before.
No. Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) reported a net loss of $12.7M over the trailing twelve months.
Yes. Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) pays a dividend that yields 0.79% at the current price, a small yield.
Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) had a return on equity (ROE) of -1.7% over the trailing twelve months. A negative ROE means the company lost money over the period.
Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) had negative free cash flow of $81.1M over the trailing twelve months.
