Harley-Davidson Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:HOG)

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 6,626 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 110% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,156 call options.

Harley-Davidson Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HOG traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $22.64. The stock had a trading volume of 1,026,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,433,650. Harley-Davidson has a 1 year low of $21.15 and a 1 year high of $43.18. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $25.75 and its 200-day moving average is $30.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.40.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 9.25% and a return on equity of 13.64%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.18 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Harley-Davidson will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This is a positive change from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on HOG. UBS Group decreased their target price on Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In other Harley-Davidson news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.96, for a total transaction of $88,264.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,555 shares in the company, valued at $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 172.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Harley-Davidson by 3,514.8% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 976 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 949 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Harley-Davidson by 237.9% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 84.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.