Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 9,690,000 shares, a decline of 6.5% from the November 15th total of 10,360,000 shares. Currently, 7.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,660,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.8 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 17,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $570,405.75. This represents a 19.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mork Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,926,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 151.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 50,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,945,000 after acquiring an additional 30,388 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 190.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 172,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,637,000 after acquiring an additional 112,948 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 135.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 282,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,900,000 after acquiring an additional 162,899 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 17.3% in the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 5,705,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,372,000 after acquiring an additional 842,407 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

HOG traded down $0.25 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $31.75. 464,353 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,676,777. The company’s 50-day moving average is $33.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.88. The company has a market cap of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Harley-Davidson has a 12-month low of $31.32 and a 12-month high of $44.16.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.1725 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on HOG shares. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. StockNews.com raised Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Baird R W cut Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $44.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.57.

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.