Harley-Davidson Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:HOG)

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 6,626 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 110% compared to the average daily volume of 3,156 call options.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

Shares of HOG opened at $23.72 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.40. The firm has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of 7.12, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.28. Harley-Davidson has a twelve month low of $20.45 and a twelve month high of $42.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $25.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.90.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 9.25%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.18 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Harley-Davidson will post 3.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. This is a positive change from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.62%.

Insider Transactions at Harley-Davidson

In other news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.96, for a total value of $88,264.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in Harley-Davidson by 3,514.8% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 976 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 949 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 172.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 237.9% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 84.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HOG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $32.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.00.

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.