Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Shares Gap Down to $35.49

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $35.49, but opened at $33.79. Harley-Davidson shares last traded at $32.83, with a volume of 571,223 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Harley-Davidson in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.43.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The company's fifty day moving average is $39.50 and its 200 day moving average is $35.23. The firm has a market cap of $4.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.58, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.48.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.24. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.03%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were paid a $0.1725 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This is a boost from Harley-Davidson's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Harley-Davidson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.33%.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HOG. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 564,850 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,674,000 after purchasing an additional 11,670 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 132.3% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 54,751 shares of the company's stock worth $1,810,000 after buying an additional 31,180 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Harley-Davidson by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,461,895 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,330,000 after buying an additional 12,332 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 25,765 shares of the company's stock valued at $852,000 after acquiring an additional 1,186 shares during the period. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the third quarter worth approximately $764,000. 85.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.