Insider Selling: Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Director Sells 4,278 Shares of Stock

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $137,965.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,405.75. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

NYSE:HOG traded down $0.08 on Friday, hitting $31.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,910,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,744,122. Harley-Davidson, Inc. has a 52 week low of $26.35 and a 52 week high of $44.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.18, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $36.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.54.

Harley-Davidson announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Thursday, July 25th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 19.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Monday, September 16th were issued a dividend of $0.1725 per share. This represents a $0.69 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Baird R W lowered shares of Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $44.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.29.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HOG. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 2.6% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 31,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,363,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its position in Harley-Davidson by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 159,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,961,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the first quarter valued at $212,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 87.5% during the first quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 8,203 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp grew its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 1.3% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 110,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,846,000 after purchasing an additional 1,445 shares during the last quarter. 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.