Heartland Express, Inc. Reports Net Income and Financial Results for the Third Quarter of 2026

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heartland Express, Inc. (Nasdaq: HTLD) announced today financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2026.

Three months ended September 30, 2026: * Operating Revenue of $179.5 million, * Net Income of $1.0 million, * Basic Earnings per Share of $0.01, * Operating Ratio of 98.7% (a 500bp improvement to Q3 2025) and 97.6% Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Ratio((1)), * Purchased 183,371 shares of our common stock for $2.2 million, * Payments of $35 million to reduce outstanding acquisition-related debt, * Total Assets of $1.1 billion, including $48.5 million of Cash, * Stockholders' Equity of $754.1 million. Nine months ended September 30, 2026: * Operating Revenue of $539.9 million, * Net Income of $6.7 million, * Basic Earnings per Share of $0.09, * Operating Ratio of 97.1% and 95.7% Non-GAAP Adjusted Operating Ratio((1)), * Purchased 355,432 shares of our common stock for $4.6 million, * Smith Transport debt and equipment leases eliminated, * Payments of $59.9 million to reduce outstanding debt and finance lease obligations. Acquisition-related debt and finance lease obligations reduced from $494.1 million in 2022 to $99.9 million. Heartland Express Chief Executive Officer Mike Gerdin commented on the quarterly operating results and ongoing initiatives of the Company, “Our consolidated operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2026, reflect significant operating ratio improvement (98.7%) as compared to the third quarter of 2025 (103.7%). The improved financial results reflect stronger freight volumes and improved customer pricing resulting from ongoing industry capacity reductions, even though we do not expect the positive impacts of ongoing contract negotiations to be fully reflected in our operating results until 2027. During the third quarter of 2026, we continued to pay down acquisition-related debt and repurchase shares of our common stock. Our operating expenses were significantly impacted by rising fuel costs throughout the quarter, along with inflationary impacts to maintenance, repairs, and other employee-related costs. We expect to rely on our positive cash flows from operations to invest in our fleet of tractors and trailers over the remainder of the year. This allows us to continue our commitment to our professional drivers and our customers, to provide the latest and most efficient equipment throughout our operating fleet for their benefit.”