Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG)

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 6,626 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 110% compared to the typical volume of 3,156 call options.

Harley-Davidson Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HOG traded down $0.14 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $22.64. 1,026,952 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,433,650. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $25.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.24. 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 company has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.81, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 1.28. Harley-Davidson has a 1 year low of $21.15 and a 1 year high of $43.18.

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

Harley-Davidson Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. This is a boost from Harley-Davidson’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Harley-Davidson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.62%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Harley-Davidson

In other news, insider Luke Christopher Mansfield sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 approximately $611,487.80. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 172.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Harley-Davidson by 3,514.8% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 976 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 949 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 237.9% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Harley-Davidson by 84.3% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 846 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on HOG. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Bank of America decreased their price target on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $33.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $35.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Harley-Davidson has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.