Morgan Stanley Begins Coverage on Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG)

Equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target indicates a potential upside of 26.81% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on HOG. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $42.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.14.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

HOG stock opened at $39.43 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.91. The stock has a market cap of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.43. Harley-Davidson has a 1 year low of $25.43 and a 1 year high of $44.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $791.65 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $875.29 million. Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 12.11% and a return on equity of 22.00%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.28 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HOG. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 36,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,597,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 86,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,787,000 after buying an additional 5,741 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 588,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,759,000 after buying an additional 32,073 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 31,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,363,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 100,374 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,390,000 after buying an additional 14,751 shares during the period. 85.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.