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The pretax margin, as know as pretax profit margin, is widely used to measure the operating efficiency of a company before deducting taxes.
The pretax margin is sometimes preferred over the net margin as tax expenditures can make profitability comparisons between companies misleading.
It is a useful tool to compare companies operating in the same sector and less effective when comparing companies from other sectors as each industry generally has different operating expenses and sales patterns.
The long term trend of the pretax margin is a good indicator of the competitiveness and health of the business.
Heartland Express Pretax Margin % Related Terms
Heartland Express Pretax Margin % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Heartland Express's Pretax Margin % 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.
HTLD vs CVLG, MRTN, ULH: Pretax Margin % Comparison
For the Trucking subindustry, Heartland Express's Pretax Margin %, along with its competitors' market caps and Pretax Margin % 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 Pretax Margin % vs Transportation Industry
For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Heartland Express's Pretax Margin % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Heartland Express's Pretax Margin % falls into.
* 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 (HTLD) has a Pretax Margin % of -3.01% as of Mar. 2026. Pre-Tax margin is the ratio of total pre-tax income to net sales. View historical data on Heartland Express and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #898 out of 1000 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 89.8%.
Is Heartland Express' Pretax Margin % too high?
Heartland Express' current Pretax Margin % is -3.01%. Based on the distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #898 out of 1000 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' Pretax Margin % compare to CVLG and MRTN?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #898 out of 1000 companies for Pretax Margin %. This places Heartland Express in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Pretax Margin % is 6.75. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Pretax Margin % for a Transportation company?
The median Pretax Margin % among Transportation companies is 6.75, based on 1,000 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Pretax Margin % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Pretax Margin % 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 Pretax Margin % mean?
A high Pretax Margin % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Pre-Tax margin is the ratio of total pre-tax income to net sales. View historical data on Heartland Express and its competitors. For the Transportation industry, the median Pretax Margin % is 6.75 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Heartland Express's current Pretax Margin % is -3.01%. 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 Pretax Margin % is -3.01%. 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 Pretax Margin % calculated?
Pretax Margin % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Heartland Express (HTLD), the current Pretax Margin % is -3.01% 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:
Pretax Margin %: -3.01%
GF Value™: $7.98 vs. price of $15.30 (91.7% above fair value)
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 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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