HTLD (Heartland Express) Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %: -4.92% (As of Mar. 2026)

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HTLD Heartland Express Inc HTLD
60 GF Score
Price $15.30
GF Value $7.98
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 5 Warning Signs
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What is Heartland Express Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %?

Heartland Express HTLD +5.37% 60 Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is -4.92% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus rates HTLD with a GF Score™ of 60/100 and a GF Value™ of $7.98 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,023 Transportation companies, Heartland Express ranks worse than 91.59% on this metric.

Heartland Express's Enterprise Value for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $914.3 Mil. Heartland Express's EBIT for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was $-45.0 Mil. Heartland Express's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was -4.92%.

The historical rank and industry rank for Heartland Express's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % or its related term are showing as below:

HTLD' s Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -6.65   Med: 5.22   Max: 18.63
Current: -3.47

During the past 13 years, the highest Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) of Heartland Express was 18.63%. The lowest was -6.65%. And the median was 5.22%.

HTLD's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is ranked worse than
91.59% of 1023 companies
in the Transportation industry
Industry Median: 6.85 vs HTLD: -3.47

Joel Greenblatt's definition of earnings yield has the same problems the regular earnings yield does. It does not consider the growth of the company. It only looks at one-year's business operation. For cyclical companies, the earnings yield is usually highest at the peak of the business cycle. But these earnings are rarely sustainable.

A better indicator of the attractiveness of an investment which takes growth into account is the Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) %. Heartland Express's Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was -14.42%. The Forward Rate of Return uses the normalized Free Cash Flow of the past five years, and considers growth. The forward rate of return can be thought of as the return that investors buying the stock today can expect from it in the future.


Heartland Express  (NAS:HTLD) Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Explanation

Joel Greenblatt defines the earnings yield using the above equation because it more accurately reflects the company's profitability relative to its stock price. Items like interest payment and tax etc. are not directly related to the company's operational profitability.

Enterprise Value instead of market cap (share price) is used in the calculation because it is the real price stock and bond investors together pay for the company.


Be Aware

Joel Greenblatt's definition of earnings yield has the same problems the regular earnings yield does. It does not consider the growth of the company. It only looks at one-year's business operation. For cyclical companies, the earnings yield is usually highest at the peak of the business cycle. But these earnings are rarely sustainable.

Forward Rate of Return (Yacktman) % based on Don Yacktman's definition is a better measure of the expected rate of return for a stock.


Heartland Express Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Related Terms


Heartland Express Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Heartland Express's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Heartland Express Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Chart

Heartland Express Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 9.07 11.88 3.11 -1.77 -6.72

Heartland Express Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.19 -3.86 -4.07 -6.72 -4.92

HTLD vs CVLG, MRTN, ULH: Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Comparison

For the Trucking subindustry, Heartland Express's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %, along with its competitors' market caps and Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Heartland Express Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % vs Transportation Industry

For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Heartland Express's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Heartland Express's Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % falls into.


HTLD
60GF Score
Heartland Express Inc HTLD
Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
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Heartland Express Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % Calculation

In his book, The Little That Beat the Market, hedge fund manager Joel Greenblatt defines Earnings Yield as operating income divided by enterprise value.

Heartland Expresss Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as

Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt)=EBIT/Enterprise Value
=-56.638/842.27335
=-6.72 %

Heartland Express's EBIT for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 adds up the quarterly data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was $-45.0 Mil.


What does a Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % of -4.92% mean?
Heartland Express (HTLD) has a Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % of -4.92% as of Mar. 2026. Joel Greenblatt's earnings yield equals the ratio of earnings before interest and taxes to enterprise value. View historical data on Heartland Express and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #937 out of 1023 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 91.6%.
Is Heartland Express' Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % too high?
Heartland Express' current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is -4.92%. Based on the distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #937 out of 1023 companies in the Transportation industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Heartland Express has a GF Score™ of 60/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Heartland Express' Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % compare to CVLG and MRTN?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #937 out of 1023 companies for Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %. This places Heartland Express in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 6.85. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % for a Transportation company?
The median Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % among Transportation companies is 6.85, based on 1,023 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % mean?
A high Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Joel Greenblatt's earnings yield equals the ratio of earnings before interest and taxes to enterprise value. View historical data on Heartland Express and its competitors. For the Transportation industry, the median Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is 6.85 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Heartland Express's current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is -4.92%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Heartland Express stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Heartland Express (HTLD) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $7.98, compared to a current price of $15.30 — trading 91.7% above its estimated fair value. The current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is -4.92%. Heartland Express' overall GF Score™ is 60/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % calculated?
Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Heartland Express (HTLD), the current Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is -4.92% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Heartland Express (HTLD) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Heartland Express stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $15.30 is trading 91.7% above its estimated GF Value™ of $7.98. GuruFocus considers Heartland Express to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for HTLD:

  • Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) %: -4.92%
  • GF Value™: $7.98 vs. price of $15.30 (91.7% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 60/100 with 5 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the HTLD stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Heartland Express Business Description

Address 901 Heartland Way, North Liberty, IA, USA, 52317
Heartland Express Inc, along with its subsidiaries, operates as a short, medium, and long-haul truckload carrier and transportation services provider. It mainly provides nationwide asset-based dry van truckload service for shippers across the United States, along with cross-border freight and other transportation services offered through third-party partnerships in Mexico. The group operates under the brand names of Heartland Express, Millis Transfer, Smith Transport, and CFI (for services within Mexico).
60GF Score

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Earnings Yield (Joel Greenblatt) % is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$15.30
Price
$7.98
GF Value