MetLife Investment Management LLC Acquires 3,396 Shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG)

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 64,664 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,396 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Harley-Davidson were worth $1,948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HOG. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter valued at about $50,368,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,341,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,898,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the fourth quarter valued at about $11,010,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 12.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,470,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,295,000 after purchasing an additional 157,939 shares in the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

Shares of Harley-Davidson stock opened at $23.45 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $24.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.61. The company has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of 7.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Harley-Davidson, Inc. has a 52 week low of $20.45 and a 52 week high of $39.93.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 prior year, the company posted $0.18 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. This is a boost from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on HOG. Bank of America dropped their price target on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 target price on shares of Harley-Davidson in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $29.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 value of $88,264.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.93% 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.