Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Shares Up 4.9% – What’s Next?

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG)’s share price was up 4.9% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $27.05 and last traded at $27.36. Approximately 302,832 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 1,763,550 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.09.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HOG shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.57.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $27.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.49.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 9.25%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.18 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is 21.62%.

Insider Activity at Harley-Davidson

In related news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.96, for a total transaction of $88,264.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Harley-Davidson by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Harley-Davidson by 172.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Harley-Davidson by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 27,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,064,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank grew its stake in Harley-Davidson by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 49,995 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,926,000 after acquiring an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Harley-Davidson Company Profile

Harley-Davidson, Inc manufactures and sells motorcycles in the United States and internationally. The company operates in three segments: Harley-Davidson Motor Company, LiveWire, and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. The Harley-Davidson Motor Company segment designs, manufactures, and sells motorcycles, including cruiser, trike, touring, standard, sportbike, adventure, and dual sport, as well as motorcycle parts, accessories, and apparel, as well as licenses its trademarks and related services.