Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Hits New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $23.81 and last traded at $23.96, with a volume of 918523 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HOG shares. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.57.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $27.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.71. The company has a market cap of $3.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 9.25%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.18 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is presently 21.62%.

Insider Transactions at Harley-Davidson

In related news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.96, for a total transaction of $88,264.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mork Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,926,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,898,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,470,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,295,000 after purchasing an additional 157,939 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 135.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 282,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,900,000 after purchasing an additional 162,899 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 151.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 50,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,945,000 after purchasing an additional 30,388 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

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.