Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Stock Price Down 4.5% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) dropped 4.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $24.92 and last traded at $24.80. Approximately 171,825 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 1,781,549 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.96.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.57.

Harley-Davidson Stock Down 1.3 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of 7.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.49. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.86.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last issued 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.18 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. This is a positive change from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is presently 21.62%.

Insider Activity at Harley-Davidson

In related news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the business’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 transaction of $88,264.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,555 shares in the company, valued at $611,487.80. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HOG. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 172.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. 85.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.