Short Interest in Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Grows By 17.1%

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,940,000 shares, a growth of 17.1% from the July 31st total of 8,490,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,610,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.2 days. Currently, 7.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Harley-Davidson from $36.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.29.

Institutional Trading of Harley-Davidson

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HOG. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 95.0% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 115.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares during the period. Finally, American National Bank acquired a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Trading Down 0.3 %

HOG stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $37.44. 1,260,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,704,855. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.32, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.46. Harley-Davidson has a 12-month low of $25.43 and a 12-month high of $44.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.29 billion. Harley-Davidson had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 20.33%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Harley-Davidson will post 4.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, July 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 19.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.