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

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,360,000 shares, a growth of 11.6% from the October 31st total of 9,280,000 shares. Currently, 8.2% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,710,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HOG has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird downgraded Harley-Davidson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $44.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.57.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $137,965.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 17,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $570,405.75. This represents a 19.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 19.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 19.5% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 4.7% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,430 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 14.7% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 46.8% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. 85.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Harley-Davidson Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:HOG traded up $0.47 on Monday, reaching $34.10. 251,130 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,699,404. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.46. Harley-Davidson has a 52 week low of $30.48 and a 52 week high of $44.16.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.1725 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $0.69 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.54%.

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.