Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) shares hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $28.64 and last traded at $28.70, with a volume of 65929 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on HOG shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. UBS Group decreased their target price on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Baird R W downgraded Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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, StockNews.com raised shares of Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Harley-Davidson has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

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 capitalization of $3.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.48. The company’s 50 day moving average is $31.98 and its 200 day moving average is $34.36.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.1725 dividend. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Harley-Davidson news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 19.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HOG. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 708,260 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 22,680.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,182,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,166,000 after purchasing an additional 4,164,502 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake 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 during the period. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 5.0% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 647,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,929,000 after buying an additional 30,725 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Harley-Davidson by 38.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 533,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,555,000 after buying an additional 148,537 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.