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

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.00.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Harley-Davidson from $32.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Wednesday.

Insider Transactions at Harley-Davidson

In other news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 23,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HOG. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 3,514.8% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 949 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 172.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 237.9% during the fourth 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 position in Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in Harley-Davidson by 84.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

HOG opened at $21.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.40. Harley-Davidson has a 1-year low of $20.45 and a 1-year high of $41.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $25.24 and a 200-day moving average of $29.78. The company has a market capitalization of $2.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.43, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.28.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 13.64%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.18 EPS. Equities 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 paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is presently 21.62%.

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.