Harley-Davidson, Inc. $HOG Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) by 11.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 11,446,616 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,511,945 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.10% of Harley-Davidson worth $234,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HOG. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 139.0% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 153.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 1,278 shares in the last quarter. Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Harley-Davidson in the third quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 203.3% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,426 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 310.2% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 2,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 1,861 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Stock Up 7.5%

Harley-Davidson stock opened at $25.41 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $20.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.79. Harley-Davidson, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.09 and a twelve month high of $31.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.12). Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 7.03%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.18. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HOG. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $15.00 to $19.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $12.00 price target on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $27.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Rafeh Masood acquired 2,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $18.00 per share, for a total transaction of $49,950.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 7,480 shares in the company, valued at $134,640. This represents a 58.98% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James D. Farley, Jr. sold 6,454 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.71, for a total transaction of $120,754.34. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,205 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $303,195.55. This trade represents a 28.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Harley-Davidson Profile

Harley-Davidson, Inc is a renowned American motorcycle manufacturer best known for its heavyweight cruiser and touring bikes. Founded in 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the company has built a strong reputation for producing distinctive motorcycles characterized by their signature V-twin engines, chrome finishes and robust frames. Harley-Davidson markets its products globally through a network of franchised dealerships and focuses on delivering an immersive brand experience to its customers, emphasizing lifestyle and community alongside its motorcycles.

In addition to its core motorcycle business, Harley-Davidson offers an extensive range of parts, accessories and apparel under its Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories and MotorClothes lines.