Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Sets New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $23.81 and last traded at $23.96, with a volume of 918523 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.48.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on HOG. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $31.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup cut their price target on Harley-Davidson from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $33.57.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.01 and a 200 day moving average of $31.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.40.

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Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 9.25%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.18 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Harley-Davidson's dividend payout ratio is currently 21.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HOG. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,835,139 shares of the company's stock worth $205,940,000 after acquiring an additional 332,928 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 19,453 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 30.7% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,468,089 shares of the company's stock worth $164,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,285,225 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,496,579 shares of the company's stock worth $105,352,000 after acquiring an additional 435,200 shares during the period. Finally, Donald Smith & CO. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,368,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company's stock.

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.