Harley-Davidson Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:HOG)

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 6,374 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 48% compared to the typical volume of 4,312 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on HOG shares. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Harley-Davidson from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $30.17.

Harley-Davidson Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of Harley-Davidson stock opened at $24.50 on Wednesday. Harley-Davidson has a 12-month low of $20.45 and a 12-month high of $39.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $23.62 and its 200-day moving average is $26.98. The stock has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.30.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.27. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 9.25%. The firm had revenue of $315.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Harley-Davidson will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is 26.87%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HOG. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 172.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 658 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 209.7% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 713 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Harley-Davidson by 52.3% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 725 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 153.6% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 791 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.