Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.14.

Several research firms have weighed in on HOG. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th.

Harley-Davidson Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of Harley-Davidson stock opened at $35.41 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.53. Harley-Davidson has a 12-month low of $25.43 and a 12-month high of $44.16.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.29 billion. Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 20.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. Research analysts expect that Harley-Davidson will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 21st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th were paid a $0.1725 dividend. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 5th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.33%.

Harley-Davidson declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, July 25th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 19.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HOG. Leavell Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter valued at about $202,000. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 76.8% during the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 21,183 shares of the company’s stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 9,200 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 1,729 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,312,000. 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.