Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Hits New 52-Week High at $44.16

Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $44.16 and last traded at $44.01, with a volume of 35954 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $42.00 target price on shares of Harley-Davidson in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Citigroup increased their price target on Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.67.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 9.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $37.39 and a 200-day moving average of $33.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.14. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 22.00% and a net margin of 12.11%. The company had revenue of $791.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $875.29 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 4.22 EPS for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.1725 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 95.0% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson during the first quarter worth $31,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 293.2% in the second quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

About Harley-Davidson

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.