Alliancebernstein L.P. Trims Holdings in Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) by 16.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 142,599 shares of the company’s stock after selling 27,467 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Harley-Davidson were worth $4,297,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,468,089 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,285,225 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 3,496,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,352,000 after buying an additional 435,200 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Harley-Davidson by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,470,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,295,000 after acquiring an additional 157,939 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Harley-Davidson during the 4th quarter valued at about $18,802,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Harley-Davidson by 38.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 533,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,555,000 after acquiring an additional 148,537 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Stock Performance

NYSE:HOG opened at $22.55 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a PE ratio of 6.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $25.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.61. Harley-Davidson, Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.45 and a 12 month high of $40.50.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by ($0.28). Harley-Davidson had a return on equity of 13.64% and a net margin of 9.25%. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Harley-Davidson, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This is an increase from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is currently 21.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.96, for a total value of $88,264.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HOG shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $32.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $31.00 target price on shares of Harley-Davidson in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.00.

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.