Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Stock Rating Raised to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Harley-Davidson from “sell” to “hold,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $28.20.
• Harley-Davidson opened at $26.95 and recently reported quarterly EPS of $0.75 and revenue of $1.23 billion, beating analyst expectations, though revenue declined 5.9% year over year.
• Insiders have been net buyers: executives purchased 57,500 shares worth approximately $1.44 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 85.10% of the stock.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. UBS Group upped their target price on Harley-Davidson from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Harley-Davidson from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Harley-Davidson from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $31.00 to $33.00 in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.20.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

Harley-Davidson stock opened at $26.95 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $26.75 and a 200-day moving average of $25.01. The firm has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.53, a P/E/G ratio of 8.79 and a beta of 1.30. Harley-Davidson has a 1-year low of $17.09 and a 1-year high of $28.86.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 6.28% and a net margin of 4.78%. Harley-Davidson's revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Harley-Davidson will post 0.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In other Harley-Davidson news, CEO Artie Starrs purchased 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.89 per share, for a total transaction of $258,900.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 25,000 shares in the company, valued at $647,250. The trade was a 66.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Gayle Littleton purchased 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $26.38 per share, with a total value of $197,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,500 shares in the company, valued at $197,850. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 57,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,439,550 and sold 4,667 shares valued at $119,423. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 28,461 shares of the company's stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 62.4% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,445 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 2.5% during the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 24,251 shares of the company's stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 40.1% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,282 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 653 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Syon Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 4.2% during the second quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 16,333 shares of the company's stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Harley-Davidson Company Profile

Harley-Davidson, Inc is a motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1903, the company designs, manufactures and sells heavyweight motorcycles known for their cruiser, touring and adventure-touring models, as well as related parts, accessories, apparel and merchandise.

The company markets its products under the Harley-Davidson brand through a network of independent dealers and company-operated retail locations. Its offerings serve customers in the United States and international markets across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Canada and other regions.

Harley-Davidson also provides motorcycle financing and insurance-related services through Harley-Davidson Financial Services.

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