Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases Shares of 76,844 Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG)

Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 76,844 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,725,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HOG. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 46.8% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $79,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 24.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $137,965.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,405.75. This trade represents a 19.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Harley-Davidson stock opened at $30.83 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50-day moving average of $32.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $34.66. Harley-Davidson, Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.74 and a 1 year high of $44.16.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a dividend of $0.1725 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is 15.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America cut 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. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Baird R W downgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.57.

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.