Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Sets New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $23.81 and last traded at $23.96, with a volume of 918523 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.48.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on HOG shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.57.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The company has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.49. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.86.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 13.64%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.18 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. This is a positive change from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.62%.

Insider Activity at Harley-Davidson

In other Harley-Davidson news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.96, for a total value of $88,264.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,555 shares in the company, valued at $611,487.80. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 172.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 237.9% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Company Profile

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.