Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Downgraded by Baird R W

Baird R W cut shares of Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $44.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $45.43.

Harley-Davidson Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE HOG opened at $34.78 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $37.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.67. Harley-Davidson has a 52-week low of $25.43 and a 52-week high of $44.16. The firm has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.73, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.44.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 11.92%. Harley-Davidson’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. Research analysts predict that Harley-Davidson will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were given a $0.1725 dividend. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.33%.

Harley-Davidson announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HOG. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson in the first quarter valued at about $39,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. American National Bank acquired a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter worth approximately $52,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 46.8% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 19.5% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. 85.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.