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 report issued on Friday.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $44.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Bank of America lowered their price target on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.57.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HOG traded down $0.30 during trading on Friday, reaching $32.93. 1,268,054 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,738,998. Harley-Davidson has a 12-month low of $26.35 and a 12-month high of $44.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.42, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.46. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $35.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.34.

Harley-Davidson announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, July 25th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 19.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $137,965.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,405.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 17.3% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 5,705,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,372,000 after acquiring an additional 842,407 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 12.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,248,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,576,000 after purchasing an additional 708,260 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 42.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,263,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,932,000 after purchasing an additional 678,092 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $587,372,000 after purchasing an additional 452,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter worth approximately $11,797,000. 85.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.