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

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $45.29.

HOG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

NYSE HOG opened at $37.79 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $5.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.40, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $35.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.79. Harley-Davidson has a 1 year low of $25.43 and a 1 year high of $44.16.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.23. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 11.92%. The business had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Harley-Davidson will post 4.35 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,428,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $587,372,000 after purchasing an additional 452,536 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 42.7% during the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 80,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,500,000 after buying an additional 23,958 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Harley-Davidson by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,241,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $193,115,000 after acquiring an additional 689,363 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter worth $1,133,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter worth $1,696,000. 85.10% of the stock is 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.