Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Shares Gap Down to $34.38

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) shares gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $34.38, but opened at $33.47. Harley-Davidson shares last traded at $33.86, with a volume of 129,766 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HOG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $37.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 8th. DA Davidson raised shares of Harley-Davidson from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $38.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Friday, July 21st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. 3M reaffirmed a “maintains” rating on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Monday, June 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $45.43.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.46, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $35.16 and its 200-day moving average is $36.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 2.03 and a quick ratio of 1.69.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by ($0.18). Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 13.03% and a return on equity of 26.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.165 per share. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 11th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In other news, Director Rafeh Masood purchased 1,302 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $38.40 per share, for a total transaction of $49,996.80. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,260.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Harley-Davidson in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 293.2% in the second quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 10,090.9% in the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 1,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the first quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 82.29% 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, and dual models, as well as motorcycle parts, accessories, and apparel, as well as licenses its trademarks and related services.