Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume After Earnings Beat

Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. Approximately 3,039,032 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 81% from the previous session’s volume of 1,679,107 shares.The stock last traded at $34.82 and had previously closed at $39.44.

The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.24. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.03%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a $0.1725 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. This is a boost from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on HOG shares. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.43.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 95.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 66.7% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the period. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a 50 day moving average of $39.81 and a 200-day moving average of $34.93.

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.