Will Heartland Express (HTLD) Report Negative Q1 Earnings? What You Should Know

Core Viewpoint - Wall Street anticipates a year-over-year increase in earnings for Heartland Express despite lower revenues, with the actual results being crucial for stock price movement [1][2]. Earnings Expectations - Heartland Express is expected to report a quarterly loss of $0.13 per share, reflecting a year-over-year change of +31.6% [3]. - Revenues are projected to be $241.65 million, down 10.6% from the same quarter last year [3]. Estimate Revisions - The consensus EPS estimate has been revised 20% lower in the last 30 days, indicating a reassessment by analysts [4]. - The Most Accurate Estimate for Heartland Express aligns with the Zacks Consensus Estimate, resulting in an Earnings ESP of 0% [10][11]. Earnings Surprise Prediction - The Zacks Earnings ESP model suggests that a positive or negative reading indicates the likelihood of actual earnings deviating from consensus estimates, with positive readings being more predictive [7][8]. - Heartland Express currently holds a Zacks Rank of 4, complicating predictions of an earnings beat [11]. Historical Performance - In the last reported quarter, Heartland Express was expected to post a loss of $0.04 per share but delivered a loss of $0.02, resulting in a surprise of +50% [12]. - Over the past four quarters, the company has only beaten consensus EPS estimates once [13]. Industry Comparison - Marten Transport, another player in the trucking and logistics sector, is expected to report earnings of $0.05 per share, indicating a year-over-year decline of -58.3% [17]. - Marten Transport's revenues are anticipated to be $229 million, down 8.3% from the previous year [17].