Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Shares Gap Down to $35.49

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $35.49, but opened at $33.79. Harley-Davidson shares last traded at $32.83, with a volume of 571,223 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on HOG. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Harley-Davidson in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. DA Davidson raised their target price on Harley-Davidson from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Bank of America raised their target price on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.43.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.48.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.24. Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 11.03% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 4th were issued a dividend of $0.1725 per share. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. This is a positive change from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 95.0% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 1st quarter worth approximately $39,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in 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 last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.