Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,280,000 shares, a decline of 7.0% from the December 15th total of 9,980,000 shares. Approximately 7.3% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,450,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.4 days.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HOG traded down $0.57 during trading on Monday, reaching $29.08. 1,471,814 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,256,211. The firm has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a PE ratio of 6.55, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Harley-Davidson has a 12 month low of $27.37 and a 12 month high of $44.16. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $31.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.20.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a dividend of $0.1725 per share. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is 15.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HOG. StockNews.com raised shares of Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Baird R W cut Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Harley-Davidson news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $137,965.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 17,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,405.75. The trade was a 19.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HOG. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 12.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,248,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,576,000 after buying an additional 708,260 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 22,680.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,182,864 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,166,000 after acquiring an additional 4,164,502 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 647,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,929,000 after acquiring an additional 30,725 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 533,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,555,000 after acquiring an additional 148,537 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 14.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 468,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,731,000 after purchasing an additional 57,913 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.