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

Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.57.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on HOG shares. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of Harley-Davidson from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Baird R W lowered shares of Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered shares of Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $44.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $137,965.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,405.75. This represents a 19.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 46.8% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 19.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,008 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

Shares of HOG stock opened at $32.94 on Tuesday. Harley-Davidson has a 52-week low of $29.67 and a 52-week high of $44.16. The stock has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 7.42, a PEG ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.41. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $35.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.15.

Harley-Davidson declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Thursday, July 25th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 19.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.1725 per share. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is 15.54%.

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.