Short Interest in Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Rises By 32.6%

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,920,000 shares, a growth of 32.6% from the January 31st total of 10,500,000 shares. Currently, 11.0% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,830,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.6 days.

Harley-Davidson Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of HOG stock traded up $0.32 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $25.44. 3,207,687 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,765,419. Harley-Davidson has a 1 year low of $23.82 and a 1 year high of $44.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 7.64, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.46. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $27.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.24.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 9.25%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.18 EPS. Research analysts predict that Harley-Davidson 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. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Harley-Davidson's payout ratio is 21.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HOG has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Harley-Davidson from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $33.57.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $88,264.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,555 shares of the company's stock, valued at $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,835,139 shares of the company's stock worth $205,940,000 after buying an additional 332,928 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in Harley-Davidson by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 5,498,635 shares of the company's stock worth $165,674,000 after purchasing an additional 19,453 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,468,089 shares of the company's stock worth $164,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,225 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,496,579 shares of the company's stock worth $105,352,000 after purchasing an additional 435,200 shares during the period. Finally, Donald Smith & CO. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,368,000. 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.