Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Harley-Davidson an average “Hold” rating: Two analysts rate it a sell, five hold, four buy, and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $26.11.
• Harley-Davidson reported quarterly earnings of $0.75 per share, beating estimates of $0.65, while revenue of $1.23 billion also exceeded expectations. However, revenue declined 5.9% year over year.
• The company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.1875, equivalent to $0.75 annually and a 3.0% yield; insiders sold 4,672 shares worth about $116,266 over the past 90 days.

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $26.1111.

HOG has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Zacks Research raised Harley-Davidson from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Harley-Davidson from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Harley-Davidson from $15.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

Harley-Davidson stock opened at $24.86 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.25, a P/E/G ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 1.26. The company's fifty day moving average price is $25.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.90. Harley-Davidson has a 1 year low of $17.09 and a 1 year high of $31.25.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 6.28%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson will post 0.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were issued a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 8th. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Harley-Davidson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In other news, insider Paul J. Krause sold 1,564 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.00, for a total value of $40,664.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 30,012 shares in the company, valued at $780,312. This represents a 4.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jonathan R. Root sold 1,554 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.44, for a total transaction of $37,979.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 29,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $718,536. This represents a 5.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,672 shares of company stock worth $116,266. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HOG. Pinnacle Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,764 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in Harley-Davidson by 858.2% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,629 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 1,459 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 153.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,109 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 1,758.9% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,937 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 2,779 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.10% of the company's stock.

About Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson, Inc is a renowned American motorcycle manufacturer best known for its heavyweight cruiser and touring bikes. Founded in 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the company has built a strong reputation for producing distinctive motorcycles characterized by their signature V-twin engines, chrome finishes and robust frames. Harley-Davidson markets its products globally through a network of franchised dealerships and focuses on delivering an immersive brand experience to its customers, emphasizing lifestyle and community alongside its motorcycles.

In addition to its core motorcycle business, Harley-Davidson offers an extensive range of parts, accessories and apparel under its Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories and MotorClothes lines.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.