MILWAUKEE — They may be macho but they’re not immune. Harley-Davidson riders, like other consumers, are curbing their spending amid the credit crisis and economic uncertainty.
The motorcycle maker lowered its earnings expectations for the year on Friday and said it would cut bike shipments, sending shares plunging more than 8 percent.
Chief Executive Jim Ziemer said the move was necessary given that now is a “difficult time for the U.S. consumer.”
Dealer sales fell sharply in August, he said, and Harley-Davidson Inc. doesn’t expect sales to increase the rest of the year. Worldwide sales were down 1.2 percent in the most recent quarter.
Harley-Davidson’s shares tumbled on the news, falling $5, or 9.2 percent, to $49.09 Friday. Earlier in the day, shares fell to a new 52-week low of $48.94. They’ve traded as high as $75.87 in the past year.
“While a decision to reduce shipments and expectations is never easy, it is clearly the right thing to do for the long-term health of the brand and the business,” Ziemer said in a news release.
Harley-Davidson said it is lowering its planned third-quarter shipments to between 86,000 and 88,000 units from its prior estimate for shipments in a range of 91,000 to 95,000 units. Full-year shipments are expected to be between 328,000 and 332,000 units, down from 349,196 units last year.
The company now expects 2008 earnings growth between 4 percent and 7 percent on moderate revenue growth and lower operating margins. It previously forecast earnings growth between 11 percent and 17 percent for 2008 as well as 2009.
Dealers of all leisure vehicles, such as motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, are reporting that it’s increasingly difficult to make sales as consumers become more cautious with their money, said Greg Badishkanian, a leisure analyst with Citigroup, which has Harley as a client.
“There are fewer people coming into the stores, and those that come in have a little bit lower likelihood of buying,” he said.
The U.S. motorcycle market has been experiencing a decline for the last four quarters, UBS analyst Robin Farley wrote in a research note Friday. Harley said in July that the overall U.S. market was down 6.2 percent for the quarter.
Harley-Davidson is also facing slower sales because its 2008 product lineup is not as innovative as last year’s, Badishkanian said. Harley-Davidson introduced four new models and the new Twin Cam 96 engine last year. The 2008 model lineup includes three new models, one with dual headlights, and the option to add antilock brakes on certain bikes.
“It wasn’t nearly as innovative as last year’s new products were, so it’s not a real reason for people to buy,” Badishkanian said.
Harley-Davidson hinted at a possible cut in July, when it revealed in its second-quarter earnings release that U.S. retail sales in the first half of the year fell short of expectations. During the quarter, U.S. sales were down 5.5 percent.
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