Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Rating Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on HOG. Baird R W cut shares of Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird lowered Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $44.00 to $40.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Citigroup cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.57.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

Shares of HOG opened at $32.47 on Tuesday. Harley-Davidson has a 1 year low of $29.67 and a 1 year high of $44.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $34.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.12. The firm has a market cap of $4.13 billion, a PE ratio of 7.31, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.46.

Harley-Davidson declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, July 25th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 19.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of Harley-Davidson stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $137,965.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,687 shares in the company, valued at $570,405.75. This trade represents a 19.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HOG. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $200,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 3.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,428,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $587,372,000 after buying an additional 452,536 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 33.3% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 124,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,468,000 after buying an additional 31,205 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in Harley-Davidson by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 51,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,273,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the 1st quarter worth $303,000. Institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

About Harley-Davidson

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.