HTLD (Heartland Express) Return-on-Tangible-Equity: 11.68% (As of Jun. 2026) — 22% Below Median

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HTLD Heartland Express Inc HTLD
66 GF Score
Price $12.20
GF Value $7.77
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 2 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Heartland Express Return-on-Tangible-Equity?

Heartland Express HTLD -1.38% 66 Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 11.68% as of Jun. 2026, which is 22% below its 10-year median of 14.95. GuruFocus rates HTLD with a GF Score™ of 66/100 and a GF Value™ of $7.77 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 2 warning signs investors should review. Among 980 Transportation companies, Heartland Express ranks worse than 88.27% on this metric.

Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated as Net Income divided by its average total shareholder tangible equity. Total shareholder tangible equity equals to Total Stockholders Equity minus Intangible Assets. Heartland Express's annualized net income for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was $42.3 Mil. Heartland Express's average shareholder tangible equity for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was $362.4 Mil. Therefore, Heartland Express's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 was 11.68%.

The historical rank and industry rank for Heartland Express's Return-on-Tangible-Equity or its related term are showing as below:

HTLD' s Return-on-Tangible-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -13.63   Med: 14.95   Max: 26.74
Current: -6.02

During the past 13 years, Heartland Express's highest Return-on-Tangible-Equity was 26.74%. The lowest was -13.63%. And the median was 14.95%.

HTLD's Return-on-Tangible-Equity is ranked worse than
88.27% of 980 companies
in the Transportation industry
Industry Median: 9.195 vs HTLD: -6.02

Heartland Express  (NAS:HTLD) Return-on-Tangible-Equity Explanation

Return-on-Tangible-Equity measures the rate of return on the ownership interest (shareholder's tangible equity) of the common stock owners. It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholders' tangible equity (shareholders equity minus intangibles). Return-on-Tangible-Equity shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth. Return-on-Tangible-Equitys between 15% and 20% are considered desirable.


Be Aware

Net Income is used.

Because a company can increase its Return-on-Tangible-Equity by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high Return-on-Tangible-Equity companies. Like Return-on-Tangible-Asset, Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.

Asset light businesses require very few assets to generate very high earnings. Their Return-on-Tangible-Equitys can be extremely high.


Heartland Express Return-on-Tangible-Equity Related Terms


Heartland Express Return-on-Tangible-Equity Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Heartland Express's Return-on-Tangible-Equity 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 Return-on-Tangible-Equity Chart

Heartland Express Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Return-on-Tangible-Equity
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 14.85 26.74 3.26 -6.99 -13.63

Heartland Express Quarterly Data
Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26 Jun26
Return-on-Tangible-Equity 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 -11.34 -9.00 -21.41 -5.35 11.68

HTLD vs CVLG, MRTN, ULH: Return-on-Tangible-Equity Comparison

For the Trucking subindustry, Heartland Express's Return-on-Tangible-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Return-on-Tangible-Equity 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 Return-on-Tangible-Equity vs Transportation Industry

For the Transportation industry and Industrials sector, Heartland Express's Return-on-Tangible-Equity distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Heartland Express's Return-on-Tangible-Equity falls into.


HTLD
66GF Score
Heartland Express Inc HTLD
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Heartland Express Return-on-Tangible-Equity Calculation

Heartland Express's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as

Return-on-Tangible-Equity=Net Income/( (Total Tangible Equity+Total Tangible Equity)/ count )
(A: Dec. 2025 )  (A: Dec. 2024 )(A: Dec. 2025 )
=Net Income/( (Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets+Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets )/ count )
(A: Dec. 2025 )  (A: Dec. 2024 )(A: Dec. 2025 )
=-52.453/( (406.482+363.21 )/ 2 )
=-52.453/384.846
=-13.63 %

Heartland Express's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the quarter that ended in Jun. 2026 is calculated as

Return-on-Tangible-Equity=Net Income/( (Total Tangible Equity+Total Tangible Equity)/ count )
(Q: Jun. 2026 )  (Q: Mar. 2026 )(Q: Jun. 2026 )
=Net Income/( (Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets+Total Stockholders Equity - Intangible Assets)/ count )
(Q: Jun. 2026 )  (Q: Mar. 2026 )(Q: Jun. 2026 )
=42.332/( (358.177+366.677)/ 2 )
=42.332/362.427
=11.68 %

* 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.

In the calculation of annual Return-on-Tangible-Equity, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total shareholder tangible equity over the fiscal year are used. In calculating the quarterly data, the net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Jun. 2026) net income data. Return-on-Tangible-Equity is displayed in the 10-year financial page.

What does a Return-on-Tangible-Equity of 11.68% mean?
Heartland Express (HTLD) has a Return-on-Tangible-Equity of 11.68% as of Jun. 2026. Return on tangible equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period tangible equity. View historical data on Heartland Express and its competitors. This is 22% below median its historical median of 14.95. According to the industry distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #865 out of 980 companies in the Transportation industry, placing it in the top 88.3%.
Is Heartland Express' Return-on-Tangible-Equity too high?
Heartland Express' current Return-on-Tangible-Equity of 11.68% is 22% below median its 10-year median of 14.95. The Transportation industry median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 9.20. Heartland Express' value of 11.68% is 27% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #865 out of 980 companies in the Transportation industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Heartland Express has a GF Score™ of 66/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Heartland Express' Return-on-Tangible-Equity compare to CVLG and MRTN?
According to the Transportation industry distribution chart, Heartland Express ranks #865 out of 980 companies for Return-on-Tangible-Equity. This places Heartland Express in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 9.20. Heartland Express' value of 11.68% is 27% above this benchmark. While the company's 10-year median is 14.95 vs. the industry median of 9.20, Heartland Express has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Return-on-Tangible-Equity for a Transportation company?
The median Return-on-Tangible-Equity among Transportation companies is 9.20, based on 980 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Return-on-Tangible-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Return-on-Tangible-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Heartland Express's current Return-on-Tangible-Equity of 11.68% is 27% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Return-on-Tangible-Equity mean?
A high Return-on-Tangible-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on tangible equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period tangible equity. View historical data on Heartland Express and its competitors. For the Transportation industry, the median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 9.20 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Heartland Express's current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 11.68%, which is 22% below median its own 10-year median of 14.95. 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 $7.77, compared to a current price of $12.20 — trading 57% above its estimated fair value. The current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 11.68%, which is 22% below median its 10-year median of 14.95 and 27% above the Transportation industry median of 9.20. Heartland Express' overall GF Score™ is 66/100 with 2 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Return-on-Tangible-Equity calculated?
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Heartland Express (HTLD), the current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 11.68% as of Jun. 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 $12.20 is trading 57% above its estimated GF Value™ of $7.77. GuruFocus considers Heartland Express to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for HTLD:

  • Return-on-Tangible-Equity: 11.68% (22% below median its 10-year median of 14.95)
  • GF Value™: $7.77 vs. price of $12.20 (57% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 66/100 with 2 warning signs
  • Industry Position: 27% above the Transportation median (#865 of 980)

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).
66GF Score

Get the complete analysis for HTLD

Return-on-Tangible-Equity is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$12.20
Price
$7.77
GF Value