HTLD
Heartland Express, Inc. Industrials - Trucking Investor Relations →
Heartland Express, Inc. (HTLD) closed at $11.47 as of 2026-02-02, trading 7.1% below its 200-week moving average of $12.34. This places HTLD in the deep value zone. The stock moved further from the line this week, up from -18.3% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 78, HTLD is in overbought territory.
Over the past 2000 weeks of data, HTLD has crossed below its 200-week moving average 38 times. On average, these episodes lasted 18 weeks. Historically, investors who bought HTLD at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +11.3%.
With a market cap of $888 million, HTLD is a small-cap stock. Return on equity stands at -6.6%. The stock trades at 1.2x book value.
Over the past 33.2 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in HTLD would have grown to $576, compared to $2849 for the S&P 500. HTLD has returned 5.4% annualized vs 10.6% for the index, underperforming the broader market over this period.
In the past 12 months, corporate insiders have made 7 open-market purchases totaling $7,340,552. Multiple insiders purchased within a 30-day window — a cluster buy pattern that historically signals management confidence in the company's prospects. Notably, these purchases occurred while HTLD is trading below its 200-week moving average — insiders are buying when the market is most pessimistic.
Free cash flow has been volatile over the past several years, making the quality of earnings harder to assess.
Growth of $100: HTLD vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After HTLD Crosses Below the Line?
Across 35 historical episodes, buying HTLD when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +7.7% after 12 months (median +2.0%), compared to +10.5% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 54% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +10.8% vs +30.1% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment HTLD crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
HTLD has crossed below its 200-week MA 38 times with an average 1-year return of +11.3% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1987 | Apr 1988 | 28 | 44.2% | N/A | +3758.7% |
| Jun 1988 | Jul 1988 | 6 | 4.0% | +56.6% | +3961.8% |
| Aug 1988 | Oct 1988 | 9 | 10.1% | +80.0% | +4310.0% |
| Jun 1995 | Jun 1995 | 1 | 1.4% | +78.5% | +523.6% |
| Aug 1998 | Nov 2000 | 119 | 35.8% | -12.2% | +285.4% |
| Oct 2007 | Oct 2007 | 1 | 1.0% | +4.1% | +10.9% |
| Nov 2007 | Nov 2007 | 2 | 3.1% | +6.0% | +10.9% |
| Dec 2007 | Jan 2008 | 2 | 2.0% | +18.5% | +10.3% |
| Mar 2008 | Mar 2008 | 2 | 1.8% | -11.6% | +7.5% |
| Sep 2008 | Nov 2008 | 7 | 6.4% | -0.3% | +3.9% |
| Dec 2008 | Dec 2008 | 1 | 5.6% | +11.1% | +8.6% |
| Jan 2009 | Mar 2009 | 12 | 16.0% | +11.9% | +3.9% |
| May 2009 | May 2009 | 1 | 2.8% | +12.1% | +4.3% |
| Jun 2009 | Jul 2009 | 2 | 0.3% | -1.4% | +1.3% |
| Aug 2009 | Oct 2009 | 6 | 4.0% | +5.1% | +3.3% |
| Oct 2009 | Nov 2009 | 6 | 7.6% | +13.3% | +4.1% |
| Jan 2010 | Feb 2010 | 4 | 6.2% | +23.1% | +6.1% |
| Jun 2010 | Jul 2010 | 1 | 3.2% | +26.2% | +2.8% |
| Aug 2010 | Aug 2010 | 1 | 0.1% | +2.3% | -0.8% |
| Sep 2010 | Sep 2010 | 1 | 0.9% | -1.7% | -0.2% |
| Aug 2011 | Jan 2012 | 23 | 11.0% | -4.1% | -3.0% |
| Feb 2012 | Mar 2012 | 1 | 0.8% | +2.7% | -4.8% |
| Mar 2012 | Jan 2013 | 42 | 10.9% | +0.1% | -5.6% |
| Mar 2013 | Apr 2013 | 5 | 2.4% | +63.2% | -5.8% |
| Nov 2015 | Feb 2016 | 9 | 11.1% | +22.3% | -30.3% |
| Apr 2016 | Aug 2016 | 17 | 8.3% | +14.3% | -28.0% |
| Sep 2016 | Nov 2016 | 9 | 5.7% | +21.2% | -34.5% |
| Mar 2017 | Apr 2017 | 4 | 5.0% | -5.5% | -37.9% |
| May 2017 | Jun 2017 | 5 | 5.3% | -9.5% | -37.2% |
| Nov 2017 | Nov 2017 | 1 | 1.5% | -2.4% | -40.0% |
| Feb 2018 | Sep 2018 | 30 | 14.7% | -1.8% | -40.2% |
| Sep 2018 | Jan 2019 | 17 | 13.1% | +7.9% | -38.4% |
| Mar 2019 | Apr 2019 | 4 | 3.7% | -11.6% | -35.3% |
| May 2019 | Jul 2019 | 10 | 10.3% | +3.1% | -36.8% |
| Aug 2019 | Aug 2019 | 1 | 0.9% | +8.1% | -36.7% |
| Jan 2020 | May 2020 | 17 | 16.0% | +0.2% | -37.4% |
| Jun 2020 | Jun 2020 | 1 | 0.6% | -10.1% | -38.6% |
| Sep 2020 | Ongoing | 283+ | 43.4% | Ongoing | -39.3% |
| Average | 18 | — | +11.3% | — |
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of Friday close, 2026-02-02