Heartland Express [HTLD] vs Covenant Logistics [CVLG] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 20 vital metrics comparison: Heartland Express Inc. wins in 5 metrics, Covenant Logistics Group Inc. wins in 15 metrics, with 0 ties. Covenant Logistics Group Inc. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Heartland Express Inc. Covenant Logistics Group Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 52.42 193.75 Heartland Express Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 1.21 1.92 Heartland Express Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 21.37 83.84 Heartland Express Inc.
PEG Ratio 0.05 -0.51 Heartland Express Inc.
EV/EBITDA 10.88 9.58 Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) -6.51% 0.62% Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) -8.94% -2.06% Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Return on Equity -6.65% 1.05% Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Return on Assets (TTM) -3.06% 1.43% Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $-66.85M $-33.92M Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Dividend Yield 1.05% 1.06% Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
1-Year Return 85.17% 99.69% Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 1.14 0.67 Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Enterprise Value $1.06B $1.11B Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 1.31 0.95 Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 9.14% 12.49% Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Revenue per Share (TTM) $10 $45 Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $-0.67 $0.16 Covenant Logistics Group Inc.
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.10 1.16 Heartland Express Inc.
Short % of Float 4.46% 3.31% Covenant Logistics Group Inc.

Heartland Express Inc. vs Covenant Logistics Group Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Heartland Express Inc.-1.80%-2.22%18.95%66.00%67.05%72.90%
Covenant Logistics Group Inc.-1.41%0.63%30.76%79.38%93.90%100.94%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Heartland Express Inc.85.17%-1.10%-4.16%-9.90%0.56%-5.40%
Covenant Logistics Group Inc.99.69%128.16%351.34%300.44%987.32%528.63%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Heartland Express Inc. vs Covenant Logistics Group Inc.

MetricHTLDCVLG
Market Information
Market Cap i$931.01M$782.63M
Market Cap CategorySmall capSmall cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i330,715153,297
90 Day Avg. Volume i357,715145,189
Last Close$15.82$44.81
52 Week Range$7.00 - $16.64$18.00 - $47.08
% from 52W High-4.93%-4.82%
All-Time High$27.96 (Dec 29, 2014)$47.08 (Jun 12, 2026)
% from All-Time High-43.42%-4.82%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth-0.26%0.07%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.26%0.07%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i-0.07%0.01%
Operating Margin (TTM) i-0.09%-0.02%
Return on Equity (TTM) i-0.07%0.01%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i21.3783.84
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$9.75$16.11
Cash per Share (MRQ)$0.24$0.20
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$89.31M$113.65M
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$-21,434,124$-66,872,752
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.05%1.06%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.10$0.28

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Heartland Express Inc. vs Covenant Logistics Group Inc.

MetricHTLD (Apr 24, 2026)CVLG (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i52.42193.75
Forward P/E i29.4912.88
PEG Ratio i0.05-0.51
Price to Sales (TTM) i1.140.67
Price to Book (MRQ) i1.211.92
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$931.01M$782.63M
Enterprise Value i$1.06B$1.11B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i1.310.95
Enterprise to EBITDA i10.889.58
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.101.16
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$9.75$16.11

Financial Statements Comparison: Heartland Express Inc. vs Covenant Logistics Group Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricHTLD (2025)CVLG (2025)
Revenue/Sales i805.71M1.16B
Cost of Goods Sold i738.17M994.54M
COGS % of Revenue i91.6%85.4%
Gross Profit i67.54M169.93M
Gross Margin i8.4%14.6%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i-61.87M20.47M
Operating Margin i-7.7%1.8%
EBITDA i98.11M127.90M
EBITDA Margin i12.2%11.0%
Pre-Tax Income i-68.13M5.59M
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i-8.5%0.5%
Income Tax i-15.68M1.18M
Income Tax % of Revenue i-1.9%0.1%
Net Income (Profit) i-52.45M7.24M
Profit Margin i-6.5%0.6%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricHTLD (2025)CVLG (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i18.48M4.95M
Total Current Assets i114.60M232.82M
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i14.2%20.0%
Total Current Liabilities i110.16M209.98M
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i13.7%18.0%
Long-Term Debt i154.38M261.67M
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i19.2%22.5%
Total Shareholders Equity i755.32M404.00M
Retained Earnings i965.41M278.21M
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i119.8%23.9%
Property, Plant & Equipment i850.99M638.79M

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricHTLD (2025)CVLG (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i91.86M104.90M
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i11.4%9.0%
Capital Expenditures i-26.25M-112.05M
Free Cash Flow i-66.85M-33.92M
FCF Margin i-8.3%-2.9%
Debt Repayment i-41.15M-164.72M
Common Stock Repurchase i-10.40M-36.57M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricHTLDCVLG
Shares Short i2.03M566,960
Short Ratio i5.114.14
Short % of Float i4.46%3.31%
Shares Outstanding i77.45M25.07M
Float Shares i58.62M11.41M
% Held by Insiders i39.54%26.04%
% Held by Institutions i50.48%70.00%
% Held by Public i9.98%3.96%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Heartland Express Inc. vs Covenant Logistics Group Inc.

MetricHTLDCVLG
Last 12-Month Dividend i$0.10$0.28
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.05%1.06%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$0.09$0.18
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.18%0.19%
3-Year Total Dividends i$0.26$0.54
Ex-Dividend DateMar 24, 2026Mar 06, 2026