Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Hits New 12-Month High at $44.16

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $44.16 and last traded at $44.01, with a volume of 35954 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HOG shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.67.

Harley-Davidson Stock Up 0.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.13, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.14. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 22.00% and a net margin of 12.11%. The business had revenue of $791.65 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $875.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 4.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.1725 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. This is a boost from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.32%.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter worth about $77,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 241,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,915,000 after buying an additional 52,446 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,390,000 after acquiring an additional 3,798 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 53,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,985,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is currently 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.