Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) Stock Forecast Oct. 16, 2026
Analysis updated on Oct. 16, 2026 (UTC) · Alpha · vs marketSwitch to Total · Nasdaq
Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) stock forecast summary
On Oct. 16, 2026, HTLD is rated Neutral: its 90-day Alpha forecast sits in the middle 30% of the 5171 stocks scored that day.
Heartland Express Inc is a small-cap company with a market capitalization of $861M. It ranks number 10 by market capitalization among the 13 Trucking (No Local) issuers in our coverage with a current forecast.
For HTLD, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 49.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 27.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
Expected return relative to the market over the horizon: a positive alpha means the model expects the stock to beat the market, whatever the market does. Ratings: strong buy ≥ +1.7%, buy ≥ +0.2%, sell < -0.9%, strong sell < -1.2% (top 15%, next 20%, middle 30%, next 20%, bottom 15% of the 2026-10-16 signals)
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How HTLD ranks among 5171 stocks
90D Alpha forecasts of every company scored, cut into five relative ratings at the 15th, 35th, 65th and 85th percentiles (dashed lines).
Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) fundamentals
Trailing twelve months. The industry median and the rank (1 = highest) are taken over the Trucking (No Local) peers listed below that report each metric.
Valuation & Market
| Metric | HTLD | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $861M | 10/13 |
| P/B Ratio | 1.14x | 12/13 |
| Dividend Yield | 0.72% | 9/11 |
| EPS | $-0.39 | – |
| Book Value/Share | $9.78 | – |
| Revenue/Share | $9.52 | – |
| FCF/Share | $-1.11 | – |
Profitability & Margins
| Metric | HTLD | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| ROE | -2.9% | 10/13 |
| ROA | -1.9% | 11/13 |
| ROIC | -1.6% | 11/13 |
| Operating Margin | -2.3% | 11/13 |
| Net Margin | -3.0% | 11/13 |
| EBT Margin | -3.4% | 11/13 |
| Tax Rate | 13.3% | – |
Financial Health
| Metric | HTLD | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 1.58x | 5/13 |
| D/E Ratio | 0.55x | 10/13 |
| Financial Leverage | 1.55x | 10/13 |
| Interest Coverage | 8.8x | 6/12 |
| Working Capital | $69M | 8/13 |
Cash Flow
| Metric | HTLD | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash Flow | $78M | 12/13 |
| Free Cash Flow | -$86M | 11/11 |
| Capital Spending | -$164M | 6/11 |
| OCF Growth YoY | -34.7% | 12/13 |
| FCF/Sales | -11.7% | 11/11 |
| CapEx/Sales | 22.3% | 1/11 |
Operational Efficiency
| Metric | HTLD | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Turnover | 0.63x | 12/13 |
| Receivables Turnover | 9.6x | 2/13 |
| Fixed Assets Turnover | 1.3x | 9/13 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | 38 days | 12/13 |
Income Statement
| Metric | HTLD | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $736M | 12/13 |
| Operating Income | -$17M | 10/13 |
| Net Income | -$22M | 10/13 |
Dividend & Shareholder Information
| Metric | HTLD | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Dividends Per Share | $0.08 | – |
| Shares Outstanding | 77M | – |
Balance Sheet Highlights (USD millions)
| Total Current Assets | $186M | 15.8% of assets |
| Cash & Short-term Investments | $62M | 5.3% of assets |
| Accounts Receivable | $77M | 6.5% of assets |
| Total Liabilities | $419M | 35.6% of assets |
HTLD quarterly financials and insider trading
Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) industry peers
Companies classified under the same SEC industry code as Heartland Express Inc (Trucking (No Local)): 13 common-stock issuers with a forecast this week, one row per issuer, largest first. This is a classification match, not a curated list of competitors.
Reveal all forecasts · See exact % predictions for all competitors
Sign up free| Company | 90-Day AI Forecast (Alpha) | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|
| HTLD Heartland Express Inc | ▶ | $861M |
| ODFL Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | ▼ | $39.17B |
| JBHT Hunt J B Transport Services Inc | ▲ | $22.10B |
| KNX Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. | ▶ | $10.60B |
| SAIA Saia Inc | ▶ | $9.11B |
| LSTR Landstar System Inc | ▲ | $5.93B |
| SNDR Schneider National, Inc. | ▶ | $5.53B |
| ARCB Arcbest Corp /Tx/ | ▲ | $2.91B |
| WERN Werner Enterprises Inc | ▲ | $2.00B |
| MRTN Marten Transport Ltd | ▶ | $1.05B |
| CVLG Covenant Logistics Group, Inc. | ▶ | $780M |
| ULH Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. | ▲ | $442M |
| PAMT Pamt Corp | ▲ | $250M |
Where HTLD sits on the market map
Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) stock news
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Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) stock forecast FAQ
What is the Heartland Express Inc (HTLD) stock forecast?
On Oct. 16, 2026, HTLD is rated Neutral: its 90-day Alpha forecast sits in the middle 30% of the 5171 stocks scored that day.
How accurate are Heartland Express Inc stock predictions?
For HTLD, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 49.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 27.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
How often are Heartland Express Inc forecasts updated?
Heartland Express Inc forecasts are refreshed on trading days as the daily model run completes. The forecast on this page was produced on Oct. 16, 2026.
Which companies are Heartland Express Inc's industry peers?
13 issuers in our coverage, HTLD included, share the SEC industry code Trucking (No Local). The largest are: Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (ODFL), Hunt J B Transport Services Inc (JBHT), Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (KNX), Saia Inc (SAIA), Landstar System Inc (LSTR), Schneider National, Inc. (SNDR).
This analysis is generated automatically using our proprietary AI systems and should not be considered personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting a financial advisor before making investment decisions.