Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $42.57.

HOG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird cut shares of Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $44.00 to $40.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, 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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $137,965.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,687 shares in the company, valued at $570,405.75. This trade represents a 19.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in Harley-Davidson by 46.8% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Harley-Davidson by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

HOG stock opened at $32.94 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $35.02 and a 200-day moving average of $35.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Harley-Davidson has a 12 month low of $29.67 and a 12 month high of $44.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.46.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.1725 per share. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

Harley-Davidson announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, July 25th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 19.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.