Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG)

Harley-Davidson, Inc. (NYSE:HOG) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders acquired 3,586 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 225% compared to the average daily volume of 1,103 call options.

Harley-Davidson Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of Harley-Davidson stock opened at $31.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.03, a PEG ratio of 8.48 and a beta of 1.30. Harley-Davidson has a twelve month low of $17.09 and a twelve month high of $31.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.96.

Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Harley-Davidson had a negative net margin of 3.31% and a negative return on equity of 4.26%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 19.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.10 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Harley-Davidson will post 0.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Harley-Davidson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.1875 per share. This represents a $0.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Harley-Davidson’s payout ratio is 46.01%.

Trending Headlines about Harley-Davidson

Here are the key news stories impacting Harley-Davidson this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 outlook: Harley-Davidson raised its full-year guidance for both Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC) and Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) for the second time this year. Full-year motorcycle retail sales and wholesale shipments are now projected at 135,500–139,000 units. Harley-Davidson Reports Third Quarter Financial Results And Raises HDMC and HDFS Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Improving retail demand: North American retail motorcycle sales rose 9% year over year in the third quarter, accelerating from 3% growth in the prior quarter. Global retail sales increased 5%, while dealer inventory ended the quarter 26% below the year-earlier level. Harley-Davidson Lifts 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst action and options activity: Citigroup raised its price target from $33 to $37 and initiated a “buy” rating. Traders also purchased 3,586 call options, roughly 225% above average volume, signaling increased bullish speculative interest.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns: Harley-Davidson returned $110 million to shareholders during the quarter, including $91 million in share repurchases and $19 million in dividends.
• Neutral Sentiment: Board changes: The company appointed two new independent directors, potentially supporting governance and strategic oversight.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly earnings missed expectations: Adjusted diluted EPS was $0.40, below the roughly $0.44–$0.47 analyst consensus. Revenue declined year over year, while HDMC shipments fell 8% to 33,616 units. Harley-Davidson Q3 Earnings and Revenues Miss Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability weakened sharply: Net income attributable to Harley-Davidson fell to $43 million from $377 million a year earlier, reflecting a difficult comparison and lower HDFS earnings. Wells Fargo raised its target from $20 to $25 but maintained an “underweight” rating, highlighting continued downside risk.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Gayle Littleton purchased 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $26.38 per share, for a total transaction of $197,850.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief accounting officer owned 7,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $197,850. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Artie Starrs purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.89 per share, with a total value of $258,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 25,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $647,250. This represents a 66.67% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,667 shares of company stock worth $119,423. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its stake in Harley-Davidson by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 28,461 shares of the company’s stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 62.4% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 555 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Harley-Davidson by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 24,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 40.1% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Syon Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Harley-Davidson by 4.2% during the second quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 16,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on HOG shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Harley-Davidson from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Evercore raised Harley-Davidson from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Harley-Davidson from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Harley-Davidson from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Harley-Davidson from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.91.

Harley-Davidson Company Profile

Harley-Davidson, Inc is a Milwaukee-based company that designs, manufactures and sells heavyweight motorcycles. Its product portfolio includes touring, cruiser, standard and adventure-touring motorcycles sold under the Harley-Davidson brand, as well as electric motorcycles offered through its LiveWire business.

The company also provides motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel and related merchandise. Through Harley-Davidson Financial Services, it offers financing and insurance products to motorcycle dealers and retail customers in supported markets.