Harley-Davidson Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:HOG)

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 6,794 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 173% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,490 put options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HOG. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 62.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 86,436 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,183,000 after acquiring an additional 33,097 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 18.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 17,560 shares of the company’s stock valued at $443,000 after acquiring an additional 2,712 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 153.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in Harley-Davidson by 31.4% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 74,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,885,000 after purchasing an additional 17,837 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triumph Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 18.3% during the 2nd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 9,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares during the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HOG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $25.00 to $21.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $21.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $27.88.

Harley-Davidson Stock Up 1.2%

Harley-Davidson stock traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $21.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,459,550 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,749,900. The company has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.39. Harley-Davidson has a fifty-two week low of $20.38 and a fifty-two week high of $31.25.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $3.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $1.72. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 15.19% and a net margin of 11.37%.The business had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Harley-Davidson will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 9th were paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.48%.

Harley-Davidson Company 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.