Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

HOG has been the topic of several other research reports. Griffin Securities set a $34.00 price target on shares of Harley-Davidson in a report on Monday. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $30.86.

Harley-Davidson Trading Up 1.7%

HOG opened at $29.20 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $25.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.13, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Harley-Davidson has a one year low of $20.45 and a one year high of $39.93.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.99 by ($0.11). Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 5.76%.The business had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.63 earnings per share. Harley-Davidson’s quarterly revenue was down 19.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Harley-Davidson will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Rafeh Masood bought 2,068 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.06 per share, with a total value of $49,756.08. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 4,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $113,202.30. The trade was a 78.42% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.93% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HOG. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. grew its position in Harley-Davidson by 61.8% during the 2nd quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 5,517,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,220,000 after purchasing an additional 2,108,099 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson in the first quarter worth approximately $33,884,000. Brickwood Asset Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,783,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the second quarter valued at approximately $21,607,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 30.2% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,838,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,389,000 after acquiring an additional 426,808 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.