Polaris Reports Continued Growth

Q4 finds a continually growing Polaris.

Polaris Industries reported record fourth quarter 2017 sales of $1,431 million, up 18 percent from $1,218 million for the fourth quarter of 2016. Adjusted sales for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $1,430 million, up 17 percent from the prior year period. The company reported fourth quarter 2017 net income of $31 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, compared with net income of $63 million, or $0.97 per diluted share, for the 2016 fourth quarter.

The reported net income includes costs related to the wind down of Victory Motorcycles, Transamerican Auto Parts (“TAP”) integration costs, restructuring and realignment costs and impacts from U.S. tax reform. Adjusted net income for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, excluding these costs, was $95 million, or $1.47 per diluted share.

“I am proud of the Polaris team and excited to see their dedication and hard work pay off as we returned the company to sustainable profitable growth in 2017. Indian Motorcycles massively outperformed the Motorcycle industry, building on its existing momentum with a flood of product news and a very successful year on the race track. We accelerated North American demand for side-by-sides throughout the year led by strong retail sales of Ranger and Polaris General along with increased international sales growth in all regions outside North America. Additionally, we made significant investments and improvements in our people, processes, product innovation and quality, which led to notable execution improvements in our Off-Road Vehicle business, marked progress on the TAP integration, and a substantial upgrade of our quality control systems and infrastructure,” commented Scott Wine, chairman and CEO of Polaris Industries.

“Between strong demand and our intense focus on delivering high quality products, in the fourth quarter we experienced some delays in getting certain model year 2018 Off-Road vehicles into showrooms, which ultimately affected our North American retail sales velocity. We are implementing corrective actions to ensure our dealers have the appropriate mix of inventory on hand as we approach the upcoming peak retail selling season,” continued Wine.

“Looking forward, I could not be more excited about the momentum we have built. Dealer inventory is approaching optimal levels, our delivery issues are being addressed, and our product innovation, which continues to resonate well with consumers, will receive an added boost from increased engineering spend. Furthermore, today we are unveiling our revised strategic framework, reaffirming our dedication to bolstering our market leadership position through a focus on superior productivity, safety, quality, and customer service. These updated goals and objectives emphasize top-line growth and margin expansion, which translates to greater than five percent compound annual sales growth and 15 percent compound annual net income growth over the next five years. The entire Polaris team is energized and committed to being the Best in Powersports Plus, growing adjacencies and global markets while simultaneously improving the safety and quality of our products. Ultimately we are striving to build a productivity powerhouse, driving accelerated earnings leverage and asset utilization, that delivers consistently increasing value for our stakeholders,” Wine concluded.