Polaris (NYSE:PII) Downgraded to Neutral Rating by Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Polaris (NYSE:PII - Free Report) from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research report released on Friday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. Robert W. Baird currently has $40.00 price objective on the stock, down from their previous price objective of $56.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on PII. Bank of America cut their price objective on Polaris from $55.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Polaris from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Polaris in a research note on Monday, March 17th. KeyCorp lowered Polaris from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Polaris from $67.00 to $48.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Polaris presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.91.

Polaris Trading Up 7.4 %

NYSE PII traded up $2.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $34.33. 1,323,263 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,033,749. The business's 50 day moving average is $43.25 and its 200-day moving average is $58.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 1.15. Polaris has a 12-month low of $30.81 and a 12-month high of $98.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.95 and a beta of 1.32.

Polaris (NYSE:PII - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.03. Polaris had a net margin of 1.54% and a return on equity of 13.78%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Polaris will post 1.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Polaris Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.67 per share. This represents a $2.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.81%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Polaris's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Polaris's payout ratio is currently 136.73%.

Institutional Trading of Polaris

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Polaris by 386.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 506 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new position in Polaris during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Polaris by 295.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 518 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Polaris by 187.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 388 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Polaris by 191.1% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,214 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares in the last quarter. 88.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Polaris Company Profile

Polaris Inc designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets powersports vehicles in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Off-Road, On-Road, and Marine. The company offers off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles and side-by-side vehicles; military and commercial ORVs; snowmobiles; motorcycles; and moto-roadsters, quadricycles, and boats.