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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | I would bet that the following story is echo'ed by Polaris which is good news for all of us, I hope. Harley-Davidson Inc. shares rumbled 9% higher Tuesday, gaining after the motorcycle maker reported a first-quarter profit that didn't fall as much as Wall Street had projected. The Milwaukee-based manufacturer posted earnings of $33.3 million, or 14 cents a share, down from $117.3 million, or 50 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Net revenue slipped to $1.04 billion from $1.28 billion on fewer motorcycle sales. They have now doubled in the past year on the back of signs of a broader economic recovery. Harley-Davidson shipped 53,674 motorcycles during the quarter, down from 74,670 a year ago. It said it expects to ship between 55,000 to 60,000 motorcycles in the second quarter. The company also reaffirmed its full-year outlook calling for shipments of 201,000 to 212,000 motorcycles, a reduction of 5% to 10% from 2009. Harley-Davidson has been forced to scale back its business in recent years, including the closure of its Buell sport-bike lineup, as demand for high-priced motorcycles has fallen in the face of recession-weary consumers. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | Sounds like good news. AS HD sales go overall motorcycle sales in the USA go.......... |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | always encouraging, I think the motorcycle market be okay as long as the government regulators stay away... |
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Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | They have bounce off their high for today by a buck, but good for HOG. Their stock has gained about $20 over the last 12 months. I think there maybe a little daylight on the credit issue, that is helping the sale of bikes. Polaris has Zoomed up over the past year, gaining $33 over the last 12 months and today they are close to breaking $60. I hope both companies enjoy success in the future...a lot of jobs here. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | I hope Victory sales alot of Visions this year, the more out there, the more aftermarket stuff will be available.......... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | Just a tag note.
Running a Specialty Retail company which sells totally un necesessary expenditure items, (our average sale is 3,000- 7,000) we had a lousy year last year with a loss of about 32-36% in annual sales. We scaled back employees, store locations, and inventory buying. Our CEO
cried and whined all year about "we were bleeding money" blah blah blah ,,,, all the while he didnt have to put either of his two rental properties in Florida on the market. Hoping for a fair 2010 year, so far we have done pretty well. Our average ticket is up 1200.00 over average for last year, and we are seeing clients come in looking at our quality lines, instead of last year walking in and saying "whats the cheapest thing you have". If this is an indication to the rest of the season, we can survive. ALL OF US can, I took a 40% pay cut last year to keep my job and Im sure many of you have cut back things as well. If we can all be positive, and remember that retailers
are giving you the best deals TO HELP YOU, but dont walk in with attitude and act like we owe you 50-60% off things "just because we are in bad times". My overhead is the same as it was and retailers are trying to keep their stores open and staff employed. Remember this
when you go into a store next time. WE NEED TO EAT TOO !! Its getting better, be patient, |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 763
Anderson, IN (48mi NE of downtown Indianapolis) | I am in manufacturing and the company makes a few parts for "a popular brand American motorcycle". People in the organization took pay cuts, lost annual merit increases, lost bonuses, lost vacation time, received higher health care premiums, and much more. That is all in the past now. The company is back in growth mode. Pay and merit increases have been reinstated. If the current growth pattern continues, the company will exceed plan this year and reinstate bonuses.
Summary: The economy is recovering and so is the motorcycle industry.
There is some concern of one more possible dip in the market. If it happens, it is not expected to be near as severe as the last one. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the positive economic trends continue to full recovery. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 28
| At the Victory demo day a couple of weeks ago in Kennesaw GA the regional rep said Vision sales were up 20% year over year for the first quarter and the Cross bikes were selling very well. Definitely good news.
Our business is up year over as well and we are cautiously optimistic that it will continue...looks good so far. |
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HD Bounces Back - Economy Recovering
