Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Harley-Davidson has an average analyst rating of “Hold” from 11 firms, with a mix of sell, hold, buy, and strong buy opinions. The consensus 12-month price target is about $24.22.
• The company’s latest earnings missed profit expectations, reporting $0.22 EPS versus the $0.34 estimate, though revenue of $1.17 billion came in above forecasts. Revenue was still down 11.7% from a year earlier.
• Harley-Davidson recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 per share, or $0.75 annually, for a yield of about 3.0%. Insider selling was also noted, including stock sales by the CFO and another executive under pre-arranged trading plans.

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $24.2222.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $15.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $28.00 price objective on Harley-Davidson in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Monday, June 15th.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

HOG opened at $25.02 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $24.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.81. Harley-Davidson has a 12-month low of $17.09 and a 12-month high of $31.25. The firm has a market cap of $2.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.22, a PEG ratio of 15.15 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 7.03%. The business's revenue was down 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.07 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Harley-Davidson will post 0.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 8th were given a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 42.61%.

Insider Transactions at Harley-Davidson

In related news, CFO Jonathan R. Root sold 1,554 shares of Harley-Davidson stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.21, for a total value of $37,622.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 32,508 shares in the company, valued at $787,018.68. The trade was a 4.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Paul J. Krause sold 1,564 shares of Harley-Davidson stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.00, for a total transaction of $40,664.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 30,012 shares of the company's stock, valued at $780,312. This represents a 4.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 62.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 86,436 shares of the company's stock worth $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 33,097 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 18.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,560 shares of the company's stock valued at $443,000 after buying an additional 2,712 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Harley-Davidson by 153.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,109 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in Harley-Davidson by 32.8% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 16,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 3,967 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 204,156 shares of the company's stock worth $4,818,000 after buying an additional 21,913 shares during the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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