Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Stock Price Down 4.5% – Time to Sell?

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) shares were down 4.5% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $24.92 and last traded at $24.80. Approximately 171,825 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 1,781,549 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.96.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on HOG shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 31st. Citigroup cut their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.57.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.86. The company has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.49.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 13.64%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This is a positive change from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.62%.

Insider Activity at Harley-Davidson

In other news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.96, for a total transaction of $88,264.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,555 shares in the company, valued at $611,487.80. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 4.7% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 172.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 554 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 658 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 3.0% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 27,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,064,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 1.7% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 49,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,926,000 after acquiring an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is currently 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.