Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Receives $44.00 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $44.00.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Baird R W cut shares of Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup upped their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Robert W. Baird cut Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $44.00 to $40.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HOG opened at $36.23 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a PE ratio of 8.05, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Harley-Davidson has a 1-year low of $25.43 and a 1-year high of $44.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $36.79 and its 200-day moving average is $36.05.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.23. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 11.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.29 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Harley-Davidson’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Harley-Davidson will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, July 25th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 19.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a $0.1725 dividend. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HOG. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 19.0% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Harley-Davidson by 19.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 0.7% in the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 51,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,273,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 159,149 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,961,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 46.8% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.10% 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, adventure, and dual sport, as well as motorcycle parts, accessories, and apparel, as well as licenses its trademarks and related services.