Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Stock Price Down 4.5% – What’s Next?

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on HOG. StockNews.com upgraded Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.57.

Harley-Davidson Stock Down 4.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.07 billion, a PE ratio of 7.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.49.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 9.25%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.18 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This is a boost from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is 21.62%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of Harley-Davidson stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.96, for a total value of $88,264.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,487.80. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mork Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the third quarter valued at $1,926,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter worth about $1,898,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,470,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,295,000 after purchasing an additional 157,939 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 135.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 282,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,900,000 after purchasing an additional 162,899 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 151.3% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 50,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,945,000 after purchasing an additional 30,388 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

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.