Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Trading Up 5.6%

Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) were up 5.6% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $37.50 and last traded at $37.47. Approximately 195,832 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 1,685,707 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.47.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on HOG. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.29.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 8.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.50.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.23. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 11.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th will be given a $0.1725 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 95.0% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in Harley-Davidson in the first quarter valued at about $39,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in Harley-Davidson in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, American National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the first quarter valued at about $52,000. Institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

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.