Short Interest in Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) Declines By 6.5%

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw a significant decrease in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 9,690,000 shares, a decrease of 6.5% from the November 15th total of 10,360,000 shares. Approximately 7.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,660,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.8 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Harley-Davidson news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 4,278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $137,965.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 17,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $570,405.75. This represents a 19.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Harley-Davidson

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HOG. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Harley-Davidson in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Harley-Davidson during the third quarter worth $38,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 46.8% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Harley-Davidson by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,970 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Harley-Davidson in the third quarter valued at $79,000. Institutional investors own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Harley-Davidson Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HOG opened at $31.57 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $33.35 and a 200-day moving average of $34.85. Harley-Davidson has a one year low of $31.32 and a one year high of $44.16. The stock has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Harley-Davidson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 23rd. Investors 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 2.19%. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is presently 15.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on HOG shares. StockNews.com upgraded Harley-Davidson from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Harley-Davidson from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Harley-Davidson from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of Harley-Davidson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.57.

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.