Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.24 EPS

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) released its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.24, reports. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.03%.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HOG opened at $34.75 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $39.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $34.93. The company has a market cap of $4.67 billion, a PE ratio of 7.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. Harley-Davidson has a twelve month low of $25.43 and a twelve month high of $44.16.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 20th. Investors of record on Monday, March 4th were given a $0.1725 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 1st. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is currently 15.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HOG. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in Harley-Davidson by 95.0% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 788 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Harley-Davidson in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup raised their price target on Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on Harley-Davidson from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.43.

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.