Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $25.21 and last traded at $25.23, with a volume of 809837 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.76.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HOG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. Bank of America reduced their target price on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.57.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $27.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.38. The company has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.48, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.46.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business earned $0.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is 21.62%.

Insider Activity

In other Harley-Davidson news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the company’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 transaction, the insider now owns 23,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $611,487.80. This 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 accessible through this hyperlink. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 22,680.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,182,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $161,166,000 after buying an additional 4,164,502 shares during the period. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,368,000. Brickwood Asset Management LLP acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,783,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $18,802,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Harley-Davidson by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,496,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $105,352,000 after purchasing an additional 435,200 shares in the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.