Harley-Davidson drops Buell line as income plummets

Harley-Davidson Inc. on October 15 announced decreased revenue, net income and earnings per share for the third quarter of 2009 compared to the year-ago period, while reporting a moderation in the decline of retail new Harley-Davidson motorcycle sales compared to the second quarter.

Worldwide retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles declined 21.3 percent in the third quarter compared to last year’s third quarter, an improvement from the 30.1 percent decline in this year’s second quarter. An 84.1 percent decline in net income and an 84.5 percent decline in diluted earnings per share from the year-ago quarter reflected lower motorcycle shipments and the effects of the economy on retail and wholesale loan performance at Harley-Davidson Financial Services.

Harley-Davidson also unveiled major elements of its go-forward business strategy to drive growth through a single-minded focus of efforts and resources on the unique strengths of the Harley-Davidson brand, and to enhance productivity and profitability through continuous improvement. As approved yesterday by Harley-Davidson’s board of directors, the company will discontinue its Buell product line and divest its MV Agusta unit as part of this strategy.

“While the environment remains challenging for us, we are mildly encouraged by the moderation in the decline of dealer retail Harley-Davidson motorcycle sales,” said Keith Wandell, chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson Inc. “And moving forward, our strategy is designed to strengthen Harley-Davidson for long-term growth and deliver results through increased focus.

“As our announcement regarding Buell and MV Agusta indicates, we are moving with the speed and decisiveness required to bring our business strategy to life,” said Wandell. “The fact is we must focus both our effort and our investment on the Harley-Davidson brand, as we believe this provides an optimal path to sustained, meaningful, long-term growth.”

Third Quarter and Nine-Month Results
Net income for the third quarter was $26.5 million, compared to $166.5 million in the third quarter of 2008, on revenue of $1.12 billion, compared to $1.42 billion in the year-ago period. Diluted earnings per share were $0.11 for the third quarter of 2009 and $0.71 in the year-ago period.

Through nine months, Harley-Davidson Inc. reported net income of $163.6 million, down 71.6 percent and diluted earnings per share of $0.70, down 71.4 percent from the year-ago period. Revenue through nine months was $3.57 billion, down 17.1 percent from the same period last year.

‘Delivering Results Through Focus’ Strategy
A key element of the company’s go-forward strategy is to focus on extending the Harley-Davidson brand by leveraging unique Harley-Davidson strengths. The strategy focuses company resources on Harley-Davidson products and experiences, global expansion, demographic outreach and commitment to core customers. In addition, the company will continue to expand its initiatives to enhance profitability through continuous improvement in manufacturing, product development and business operations.

“We are refocusing our business with the expectation that we can provide growth that is both profitable and sustainable over the long term,” said Wandell. “We believe we can create a bright long-term future for our stakeholders through a single-minded focus on the Harley-Davidson brand.”

The company said it would share additional details about the strategy during its investor conference call on October 15.

Details of Buell and MV Agusta Actions
The company will discontinue production of Buell motorcycles. Remaining inventories of Buell motorcycles, accessories and apparel, while they last, will continue to be sold through authorized dealerships. Warranty coverage will continue as normal for Buell motorcycles and the company will provide replacement parts and service through dealerships.

The decision will result in a reduction over time of about 80 hourly production positions and about 100 salaried positions at Buell. Employment will end for a majority of Buell employees December 18, 2009.

Harley-Davidson Inc. expects to incur approximately $125 million in one-time costs related to the discontinuation of the Buell product line. The company expects to incur approximately $115 million of that amount this year.

Relative to MV Agusta, the company will immediately commence efforts to sell the business, which is based in Varese, Italy.

In the third quarter, Harley-Davidson Inc. recorded a one-time fixed-asset impairment charge of $14.2 million related to Buell and a goodwill impairment charge of $18.9 million related to MV Agusta.

“Buell and MV Agusta are great companies, with proud brands, high-quality exciting products and passionate enthusiasm for the motorcycle business. Buell has introduced many innovative advancements in motorcycle design and technology over the years and MV Agusta is known in Europe for its premium, high-performance sport motorcycles. However, our strategy to focus on the Harley-Davidson brand reflects the fact that we believe our investments in that brand are a better utilization of overall company resources,” said Wandell.

Motorcycles and Related Products Segment
Third Quarter: Revenue from Harley-Davidson motorcycles during the third quarter of 2009 was $803.3 million, down 22.1 percent compared to the year-ago period. The Company shipped 54,236 Harley-Davidson motorcycles to dealers and distributors worldwide, down 27.4 percent from the third quarter of 2008 but in line with previous guidance of 52,000 to 57,000 units. Revenue from Parts and Accessories totaled $221.8 million during the quarter, down 14.4 percent and revenue from General Merchandise was $70.7 million during the quarter, down 15.9 percent compared to the year-ago period. Gross margin was 33.1 percent of revenue for the quarter compared to 34.0 percent in the year-ago quarter. Operating margin was 9.5 percent compared to 16.4 percent in the third quarter of 2008. Operating margin was affected largely by lower gross margin, restructuring charges and impairment charges.

Nine Months: Through nine months, revenue from Harley-Davidson motorcycles was $2.62 billion compared to $3.23 billion in 2008 on shipments of 187,085 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, compared to 226,898 motorcycles in 2008. Revenue from Parts and Accessories totaled $623.1 million during the first nine months, down 11.8 percent and revenue from General Merchandise was $215.5 million during the nine-month period, down 12.0 percent compared to the year-ago period. Gross margin was 34.6 percent and operating margin was 14.1 percent, compared to 35.4 percent and 18.9 percent respectively in the year-ago period.

Retail Motorcycle Sales: During the third quarter, retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles decreased 21.3 percent worldwide, 24.3 percent in the U.S. and 13.1 percent in international markets, compared to the prior-year quarter. Industry-wide U.S. retail heavyweight (651cc+) motorcycle sales declined 35.9 percent during the quarter, compared to the year-ago period.

For 2009 compared to 2008 through nine months, retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles decreased 22.9 percent worldwide, 25.5 percent in the U.S. and 16.5 percent in international markets. Industry-wide U.S. retail heavyweight motorcycle sales declined 38.7 percent year to date in 2009, compared to 2008.

Harley-Davidson Financial Services
Harley-Davidson Financial Services recorded an operating loss of $31.5 million for the third quarter of 2009 compared to an operating profit of $35.6 million in the third quarter of 2008. This decrease of $67.2 million was due to a higher provision for credit losses in both the retail and wholesale portfolios as well as increased interest expense. Year to date through the third quarter, HDFS reported an operating loss of $110.8 million, compared to operating income of $107.7 million for the prior year period. The nine-month operating loss includes two non-cash charges recorded in the second quarter of 2009: a $72.7 million credit loss provision for a one-time reclassification of motorcycle loan receivables; and a one-time $28.4 million charge to write off goodwill associated with HDFS.

HDFS continues to successfully access the credit markets to fund its lending activities. On October 9, HDFS completed a $700 million term securitization transaction with a weighted average interest rate of 1.2 percent.

Update on Restructuring Activities
On a combined basis, the company expects previously announced restructuring activities, together with the discontinuation of Buell operations, to result in one-time charges of $215 million to $245 million over 2009 and 2010, or an increase of $55 million from the estimate provided July 16, 2009. The company estimates annual ongoing savings from restructuring of approximately $140 million to $150 million. 

The company continues to pursue its previously announced “two path” study to determine whether additional major restructuring at York, Pa., facility can make those operations competitive and sustainable long term, or alternatively, whether the company will relocate those operations to another U.S. location. As part of the restructuring analysis, the company has begun contract talks with the union representing employees at York and expects to make a final decision on the status of the York operations by the end of this year.

Company Background
Harley-Davidson Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies doing business as Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC), Buell Motorcycle Company (Buell), MV Agusta and Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, touring and cruiser motorcycles. Buell produces American sport performance motorcycles. MV Agusta produces premium, high-performance sport motorcycles sold under the MV Agusta brand and lightweight sport motorcycles sold under the Cagiva brand. HDFS provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs primarily to Harley-Davidson and Buell dealers and customers.