Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Evercore upgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings raised Harley-Davidson from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital upgraded Harley-Davidson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.91.

Harley-Davidson Stock Up 2.4%

HOG opened at $31.06 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.73 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 1.97. Harley-Davidson has a one year low of $17.09 and a one year high of $31.23.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by ($0.07). Harley-Davidson had a negative return on equity of 4.26% and a negative net margin of 3.31%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.10 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson will post 0.69 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.1875 dividend. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -70.09%.

Insider Activity at Harley-Davidson

In other news, CEO Artie Starrs bought 10,000 shares of Harley-Davidson stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.89 per share, for a total transaction of $258,900.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 25,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $647,250. The trade was a 66.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jonathan R. Root sold 1,559 shares of Harley-Davidson stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.43, for a total transaction of $38,086.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 24,733 shares in the company, valued at approximately $604,227.19. The trade was a 5.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 4,667 shares of company stock worth $119,423 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Harley-Davidson in the second quarter valued at about $249,395,000. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $226,966,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,065,000. Aegis Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,681,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,347,000. 85.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Harley-Davidson News

Here are the key news stories impacting Harley-Davidson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 outlook: Harley-Davidson raised its full-year guidance for both Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC) and Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) for the second time this year. Full-year motorcycle retail sales and wholesale shipments are now projected at 135,500–139,000 units. Harley-Davidson Reports Third Quarter Financial Results And Raises HDMC and HDFS Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Improving retail demand: North American retail motorcycle sales rose 9% year over year in the third quarter, accelerating from 3% growth in the prior quarter. Global retail sales increased 5%, while dealer inventory ended the quarter 26% below the year-earlier level. Harley-Davidson Lifts 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst action and options activity: Citigroup raised its price target from $33 to $37 and initiated a “buy” rating. Traders also purchased 3,586 call options, roughly 225% above average volume, signaling increased bullish speculative interest.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns: Harley-Davidson returned $110 million to shareholders during the quarter, including $91 million in share repurchases and $19 million in dividends.
• Neutral Sentiment: Board changes: The company appointed two new independent directors, potentially supporting governance and strategic oversight.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly earnings missed expectations: Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.40, below the roughly $0.44–$0.47 analyst consensus. Revenue declined year over year, while HDMC shipments fell 8% to 33,616 units. Harley-Davidson Q3 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability weakened sharply: Net income attributable to Harley-Davidson fell to $43 million from $377 million a year earlier, reflecting a difficult comparison and lower HDFS earnings. Wells Fargo raised its target from $20 to $25 but maintained an “underweight” rating, highlighting continued downside risk.

About Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson, Inc is a Milwaukee-based company that designs, manufactures and sells heavyweight motorcycles. Its product portfolio includes touring, cruiser, standard and adventure-touring motorcycles sold under the Harley-Davidson brand, as well as electric motorcycles offered through its LiveWire business.

The company also provides motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel and related merchandise. Through Harley-Davidson Financial Services, it offers financing and insurance products to motorcycle dealers and retail customers in supported markets.