Short Interest in Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Decreases By 7.0%

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in 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. Currently, 7.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,450,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.4 days.

Harley-Davidson Trading Down 1.9 %

HOG stock traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $29.08. 1,471,814 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,256,211. Harley-Davidson has a one year low of $27.37 and a one year high of $44.16. The stock has a market capitalization 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.41. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $31.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.19.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HOG has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 31st. Bank of America lowered their target price on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $137,965.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,687 shares in the company, valued at approximately $570,405.75. This represents a 19.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 191.3% in the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 3,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 63,148 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,118,000 after buying an additional 5,070 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Harley-Davidson by 12.8% in the 2nd 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 during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in Harley-Davidson by 23.4% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 10,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 1,995 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in Harley-Davidson by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 23,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $779,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Company Profile

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.