Polaris Reports Increased Results for Both Fourth Quarter and Full Year

For the 2012 year ending December 31, 2012, Polaris Industries, Inc., (NYSE: PII) reported record net income of $4.40 per diluted share, a 38% increase compared to $3.20 per diluted share. For the fourth quarter of 2012 Polaris reported a net income of $1.24 per diluted share, up 38 percent from the prior year’s fourth quarter net income of $0.90 per diluted share.

Reported net income for the full year was $312.3 million, up 37 percent from the previous year’s net income of $227.6 million. Sales for the full year totaled $3,209.8 million, an increase of 21 percent compared to sales of $2,656.9 million for the full year 2011. For the quarter Polaris reported a net income of $88.1 million, up 38 percent from the previous fourth quarter’s net income of $63.9 million. Sales for the fourth quarter 2012 totaled a record $900.6 million, an increase of 15 percent over last year’s fourth quarter sales of $782.0 million.

“Our outstanding fourth quarter results concluded another successful year for Polaris, from both financial and strategic perspectives. In 2012, Polaris exceeded $3 billion in sales for the first time and operational improvements drove net income margin above 9.7%, even as we continued to invest in numerous diversification and growth opportunities,” commented Scott Wine, Polaris’ Chief Executive Officer.

“We expect 2013 to be another year of profitable growth and margin expansion, although we remain wary of the fragility of the global economy, particularly in Europe, where we project our business will be down slightly. Our product development and investment activity will remain high, as indicated by our decision to approve the construction of a new European plant that will provide significant future cost reduction and growth opportunities. Our aggressive posture will be balanced by consistent and prudent evaluation and preparation for risks that may arise. Operational flexibility and aggressive cost control are core strengths of Polaris, and we will leverage our excellence in executing those disciplines to overcome any obstacles to continued profitable growth.”

“Our strong performance in 2012 once again afforded us the opportunity to invest in key growth initiatives. Perhaps most exciting is the progress we made in support of the much anticipated Indian Motorcycle resurgence, which justifies and requires an unprecedented level of resources and investments. From designing and developing an all new engine and bikes, to building the team, distribution network and launch plans, we are executing a plan that will ensure we give Indian the best possible introduction to the market later this year.”

“Between the Indian launch and the much anticipated release of our jointly developed product with Bobcat, 2013 will be an exciting year for new vehicles. We are also enthusiastic about the potential KLIM, which we acquired in the fourth quarter, brings to our PG&A offering, providing both additional growth opportunities and attractive margin characteristics through its strong apparel brand. I believe our Polaris team is the best in Powersports, and together we will build on the strong finish to 2012 and play to win again in 2013.”

2013 Business Outlook
Polaris expects full year 2013 earnings to be in the range of $4.85 to $5.05 per diluted share, which represents an increase of 10 to 15 percent compared to full year 2012 earnings. Net income for full year 2013 is also expected to increase in the range of 10 to 15 percent over full year 2012. Sales for full year 2013 are expected to increase seven to ten percent over full year 2012 sales, with sales increases projected in Off-Road Vehicles, On-Road Vehicles and PG&A.

“Disciplined execution of a set of well-defined strategic goals has guided us through several successful years, and we expect 2013 to be no different,” said Wine. “We anticipate another record year, though we are keenly aware of the uncertainty surrounding the overall U.S. and European economic environment and increasing competitive pressure, most notably in our core Off-Road Vehicles business. We are prepared with countermeasures if economic conditions worsen and we are confident that our unparalleled product line of RANGER and RZR products, bolstered by a robust multi-year product pipeline of new ATV and side-by-side products, will emphatically answer these competitive threats, continuing our solid growth and market share gains. However, we cannot realize the promise of these products unless we efficiently bring them to market. Between the Max Velocity Program for Off-Road Vehicles and the Retail Flow Management process we are implementing for motorcycles, we foresee logistics becoming another vehicle driving us towards our sales and earnings goals.”

By Tom Roderick