Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.00.

Several research firms have commented on HOG. Citigroup boosted their target price on Harley-Davidson from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Baird R W cut Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird downgraded Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $44.00 to $40.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday.

Harley-Davidson Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE HOG opened at $36.65 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.14, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.44. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.50. Harley-Davidson has a 52 week low of $25.43 and a 52 week high of $44.16.

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

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

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $0.1725 per share. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is 15.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HOG. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter worth $229,000. American National Bank bought a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter worth $52,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter worth $350,000. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter worth $217,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.