Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Downgraded to Hold at Baird R W

Baird R W downgraded shares of Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports.

HOG has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup increased their price target on Harley-Davidson from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut shares of Harley-Davidson from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $44.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Harley-Davidson has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $45.43.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

NYSE HOG opened at $36.45 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $4.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $37.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.72. Harley-Davidson has a 1-year low of $25.43 and a 1-year high of $44.16.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.29 billion. Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 20.33%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson will post 4.32 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, July 25th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 19.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $0.1725 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 15.33%.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson during the first quarter worth approximately $39,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. American National Bank purchased a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the 1st quarter valued at $52,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 597 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Harley-Davidson by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Harley-Davidson Company Profile

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.