Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Sees Large Volume Increase

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 3,039,032 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 81% from the previous session's volume of 1,679,107 shares.The stock last traded at $34.82 and had previously closed at $39.44.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on HOG shares. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Harley-Davidson in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.14.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $39.87 and a 200-day moving average of $34.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.89, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.43.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.14. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 22.00% and a net margin of 12.11%. The business had revenue of $791.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $875.29 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 4.19 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a $0.1725 dividend. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. This is a boost from Harley-Davidson's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Harley-Davidson's payout ratio is 14.32%.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HOG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,860,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,241,888 shares of the company's stock worth $193,115,000 after buying an additional 689,363 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 7,206,167 shares of the company's stock worth $265,398,000 after buying an additional 659,654 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 917.7% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 669,028 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,118,000 after buying an additional 603,286 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 47.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,269,057 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,955,000 after buying an additional 410,648 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.