Polaris Reports 2017 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

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• Reported sales for the fourth quarter of 2017 increased 18% to a record $1,431 million; adjusted sales were $1,430 million, up 17%, a majority from organic growth
• Fourth quarter 2017 reported net income was $0.49 per diluted share; adjusted net income for the same period was $1.47 per diluted share, in-line with expectations and up 25% over the prior year
• Full year 2017 reported net income was $2.69 per diluted share; adjusted net income for the same period was $4.85 per diluted share, in-line with previously issued guidance. Reported and adjusted sales for the full year of 2017 increased 20% to $5,428 million
• Total 2017 dealer inventory was up 1% year-over-year; ORV dealer inventory was down 6%
• Polaris announced guidance for the full year 2018. Adjusted net income is expected to be in the range of $6.00 to $6.20 per diluted share with adjusted sales for the full year 2018 expected in the range of up 3% to 5%
• Polaris updated its long-term strategic goals and objectives emphasizing top-line growth and margin expansion. Sales are anticipated to grow at greater than 5% compounded annually and net income is expected to increase at a greater than 15% compounded annual growth rate through 2022 on an adjusted basis

 

Note: the results and guidance in this release, including the highlights above, include references to non-GAAP operating measures, which are identified by the word “adjusted” preceding the measure. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP measures can be found at the end of this release.

 

Minneapolis, MN (January 30, 2018) – Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today 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 Chief Executive Officer 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.

 

 

Off-Road Vehicle (“ORV”) and Snowmobile segment sales, including their respective PG&A related sales, were $994 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, up 13 percent over $881 million for the fourth quarter of 2016 driven primarily by improved side-by-side shipments. PG&A sales for ORV and Snowmobiles combined, increased nine percent in the 2017 fourth quarter compared to the fourth quarter last year. Gross profit increased 11 percent to $279 million, or 28.0 percent of sales, in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to $252 million, or 28.6 percent of sales, in the fourth quarter of 2016. Gross profit percentage decreased primarily due to higher warranty and negative product mix offset somewhat by lower promotional costs.

 

ORV wholegoodsales for the fourth quarter of 2017 increased 14 percent primarily driven by strong RZR^® and RANGER shipments. Polaris North American ORV unit retail sales for the fourth quarter of 2017 were down low-single digits percent from the 2016 fourth quarter, with side-by-side vehicles down low-single digits percent and ATVs flat. The North American ORV industry was up low-single digits percent compared to the fourth quarter last year. ORV dealer inventory was down 6 percent in the 2017 fourth quarter compared to the same period last year.

 

Snowmobile wholegood sales in the fourth quarter of 2017 increased 11 percent to $131 million, due to the timing of shipments. Polaris snowmobile retail sales were down low double digits percent during the fourth quarter due to low snowfall levels across the snowbelt regions in North America.

 

Motorcycle segment sales, including PG&A, totaled $103 million, a decrease of two percent compared to $104 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2016 which included $25 million of Victory Motorcycle wholegood, accessory and apparel sales. Indian Motorcycles wholegood sales increased in the high-single digit percent range in the fourth quarter, while Slingshot^® sales more than doubled. Gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $5 million compared to $1 million in the fourth quarter of 2016. Adjusted for the Victory Motorcycles wind down costs of $3 million, motorcycle gross profit was $8 million, up from the fourth quarter last year due to higher sales volume for both Indian Motorcycles and Slingshot and lower warranty costs.

North American consumer retail demand for the Polaris motorcycle segment, including Indian Motorcycle and Slingshot, increased about 30 percent during the 2017 fourth quarter. Indian Motorcycle retail sales increased about 17 percent, with both heavyweight and mid-sized motorcycles increasing at similar mid-teens percent levels. Indian Motorcycle continued to gain significant market share for the 2017 fourth quarter and full year on a year-over-year basis. Slingshot's retail sales were up significantly due to improved product availability compared to the fourth quarter last year. Motorcycle industry retail sales, 900cc and above, were down high-single digits percent in the 2017 fourth quarter.

 

Global Adjacent Markets segment sales along with its PG&A related sales, increased 19 percent to $117 million in the 2017 fourth quarter compared to $98 million in the 2016 fourth quarter. Reported gross profit increased two percent to $30 million, or 25.4 percent of sales, in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared to $29 million, or 29.5 percent of sales, in the fourth quarter of 2016. Adjusted gross profit, excluding the manufacturing realignment costs, increased four percent to $30 million, or 25.8 percent of sales for the fourth quarter 2017. Commercial/Government/Defense group wholegood sales were up 24 percent during the fourth quarter of 2017 primarily due to an increase in sales in the Company's Goupil light-utility business and military sales.

 

Aftermarket segment sales, which include Transamerican Auto Parts ("TAP"), along with the Company's other aftermarket brands of Klim^®, Kolpin^®, Pro Armor^®, Trail Tech^® and 509^®, increased 62 percent to $218 million in the 2017 fourth quarter compared to $134 million in the 2016 fourth quarter. TAP sales increased $83 million to $192 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. Gross profit increased significantly to $61 million, or 27.9 percent of sales in fourth quarter of 2017, compared to $28 million, or 20.9 percent of sales, in the fourth quarter of 2016. Adjusted gross profit in Q4 2016 was $37 million, or 27.4 percent of sales, adjusted for a $9 million TAP inventory step-up charge. Sales and gross profit dollars were up primarily due to the addition of TAP for the entire fourth quarter of 2017 as TAP was acquired in November of 2016. TAP sales grew four percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to last year on a proforma basis, had Polaris owned TAP for the full year 2016.

 

Supplemental Data:

 

• Parts, Garments, and Accessories (“PG&A”) sales, excluding Aftermarket segment sales, increased eight percent for the 2017 fourth quarter. Excluding Victory Motorcycles, all segments and categories increased sales during the quarter.
• International sales to customers outside of North America, including PG&A, totaled $211 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, up 18 percent, from the same period in 2016. In the fourth quarter, sales in EMEA grew low-twenties percent, Asia Pacific increased high-single digits percent, and Latin America sales rose mid-teens percent. 

 

Gross profit increased 18 percent to $368 million for the fourth quarter of 2017 from $313 million in the fourth quarter of 2016. As a percentage of sales, reported gross profit margin was 25.7 percent of sales for the fourth quarter of both 2017 and 2016. Gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2017 includes the negative impact of $3 million of Victory Motorcycles wind down costs and $2 million of realignment costs. Excluding these items, fourth quarter 2017 adjusted gross profit was $373 million, or 26.1 percent of sales. For the fourth quarter of 2016 adjusted gross profit of $322 million, or 26.4 percent of sales, excludes the negative impact of a $9 million purchase accounting adjustment related to the TAP acquisition acquired in the 2016 fourth quarter. Gross profit margins on an adjusted basis decreased due to negative product mix, higher incentive compensation expenses and increased commodity costs offset somewhat, by increased volume, lower promotional costs and ongoing gross VIP cost savings.

 

Operating expenses increased 13 percent for the fourth quarter of 2017 to $264 million from $233 million in the same period in 2016, which included $1 million in Victory Motorcycles wind down costs, $3 million of TAP integration expenses and $9 million of corporate restructuring charges. Excluding these costs, operating expenses increased primarily due to the addition of operating expenses from TAP, higher variable compensation expenses, as well as increased research and development expenses and increased selling and marketing costs related to new products, offset somewhat by lower legal related expenses. 

 

Income from financial services was $19 million for the fourth quarter of 2017, down four percent compared with $19 million for the fourth quarter of 2016. The decrease is attributable to lower income generated from the wholesale portfolio due to the lower dealer inventory levels. 

 

Non-operating other expense (income), net, was $5 million of income for the fourth quarter of 2017, versus $6 million of expense in the fourth quarter of 2016. The change primarily relates to a gain on a sale of Brammo in addition to foreign currency exchange rate movements and the corresponding effects on foreign currency transactions related to the Company’s foreign subsidiaries.

 

The provision for income taxes for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $87 million or 73.3 percent of pretax income compared with $23 million or 26.8 percent of pretax income for the fourth quarter of 2016. The increase in the provision for income taxes as a percent of pretax income is due to the non-cash $55 million write-down of deferred tax assets as a result of the passing of the U.S. tax reform bill in the fourth quarter of 2017.

 

Financial Position and Cash Flow

Net cash provided by operating activities was $580 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to $572 million for the same period in 2016. The increase in net cash provided by operating activities for the 2017 period was due to the timing of accounts payable and accrued expense payments, somewhat offset by higher factory inventory. Total debt at December 31, 2017, including capital lease obligations and notes payable, was $913 million. The Company’s debt-to-total capital ratio was 49 percent at December 31, 2017, compared to 57 percent a year ago due primarily to repayments on the revolving and term loan facilities. Cash and cash equivalents were $138 million at December 31, 2017, up from $127 million for the same period in 2016. 

 

Share Buyback Activity

During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company repurchased and retired 13,000 shares of its common stock for $2 million. For the full year ending December 31, 2017, the Company has repurchased and retired 1,028,000 shares of its common stock for $90 million. As of December 31, 2017, the Company has authorization from its Board of Directors to repurchase up to an additional 6.4 million shares of Polaris common stock. 

 

2018 Business Outlook

For full year 2018, the Company expects adjusted net income to be in the range of $6.00 to $6.20 per diluted share, compared with adjusted net income of $4.85 per diluted share for 2017. The 2018 full year guidance takes into account the impact of the corporate tax adjustments included in the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act by the U.S. Congress. Full year 2018 adjusted sales are anticipated to increase in the range of three percent to five percent over 2017 adjusted sales of $5,428 million.

 

Vision and Strategy update

Polaris today updated its long-term Strategic Objectives first introduced in 2009. The five major objectives are as follow: being the Best in Powersports Plus, Growth through Adjacencies, Global Market Leadership, making Safety & Quality a Competitive Advantage and becoming a Productivity Powerhouse. These objectives emphasize sales and net income growth which translates into annual sales growth of greater than five percent compounded annually and net income growth of greater than 15 percent compounded annually through 2022 on an adjusted basis.

 

Wind Down of Victory Motorcycles

Polaris announced on January 9, 2017 its intention to wind down its Victory Motorcycles operations. The decision is expected to improve the long-term profitability of Polaris and its global motorcycle business, while materially improving the Company’s competitive position in the industry. The Company will record costs, anticipated to be in the range of $80 million to $90 million through 2018, associated with supporting Victory dealers in selling their remaining inventory, the disposal of factory inventory, tooling, and other physical assets, and the cancellation of various supplier arrangements. In 2017, the Company recorded pretax costs of $77 million. These costs are excluded from Polaris’ 2017 sales and earnings guidance on a non-GAAP basis.

 

Restructuring and Realignment

Polaris announced on April 24, 2017 that it was making changes to its network to consolidate production of like products and better leverage plant capacity. Changes include discontinuing manufacturing at its plant in Milford, Iowa, and transferring Milford production to existing Polaris facilities in Huntsville, Ala.; Roseau, Minn.; and Anaheim, Calif. Additionally, the Company has transferred fabrication operations for its Pro Armor aftermarket products from its facility in Riverside, Calif., to its Transamerican Auto Parts facility in Chula Vista, Calif. In 2017, the Company incurred costs of $11 million, associated with the manufacturing realignment, and are recorded in the income statement within the respective gross profit and operating expenses. In addition, the Company has recorded restructuring costs totaling $11 million in the 2017 fourth quarter related to realigning and streamlining the Company's sales and service groups. These costs are excluded from Polaris’ 2017 sales and earnings guidance on a non-GAAP basis.

 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

This press release and our related earnings call contain certain non-GAAP financial measures, consisting of “adjusted" sales, gross profits, operating expenses, net income and net income per diluted share as measures of our operating performance. Management believes these measures may be useful in performing meaningful comparisons of past and present operating results, to understand the performance of its ongoing operations and how management views the business. Reconciliations of adjusted non-GAAP measures to reported GAAP measures are included in the financial schedules contained in this press release. These measures, however, should not be construed as an alternative to any other measure of performance determined in accordance with GAAP.

 

Fourth Quarter 2017 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast Presentation

Today at 10:00 AM (CST) Polaris Industries Inc. will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the 2017 fourth quarter results and expectations for 2018 released this morning. The call will be hosted by Scott Wine, Chairman and CEO; and Mike Speetzen, Executive Vice President - Finance and CFO. A slide presentation and link to the webcast will be posted on the Polaris Investor Relations website at ir.polaris.com.

To listen to the conference call by phone, dial 877-706-7543 in the U.S. and Canada, or 478-219-0273 internationally. The Conference ID is 5877616.

A replay of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after the call for a one-week period by accessing the same link on our website, or by dialing 855-859-2056 in the U.S. and Canada, or 404-537-3406 internationally.

 

About Polaris

Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) is a global powersports leader that has been fueling the passion of riders, workers and outdoor enthusiasts for more than 60 years. With annual 2017 sales of $5.4 billion, Polaris’ innovative, high-quality product line-up includes the RANGER^®, RZR^® and Polaris GENERAL^™ side-by-side off-road vehicles; the Sportsman^® and Polaris ACE^® all-terrain off-road vehicles; Indian Motorcycle^® midsize and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot^® moto-roadsters; and Polaris RMK^®, INDY^®, Switchback^® and RUSH^® snowmobiles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with parts, garments and accessories, along with a growing aftermarket portfolio, including Transamerican Auto Parts. Polaris’ presence in adjacent markets globally includes military and commercial off-road vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles. Proudly headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries across the globe. Visit www.polaris.com for more information.

 

Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release, including management’s expectations regarding 2018 future sales, shipments, net income, and net income per share, operational initiatives and impact of tax reform are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include such factors as the Company’s ability to successfully implement its manufacturing operations expansion initiatives, product offerings, promotional activities and pricing strategies by competitors; economic conditions that impact consumer spending; acquisition integration costs; product recalls, warranty expenses; impact of changes in Polaris stock price on incentive compensation plan costs; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; environmental and product safety regulatory activity; effects of weather; commodity costs; uninsured product liability claims; uncertainty in the retail and wholesale credit markets; performance of affiliate partners; changes in tax policy and overall economic conditions, including inflation, consumer confidence and spending and relationships with dealers and suppliers. Investors are also directed to consider other risks and uncertainties discussed in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company does not undertake any duty to any person to provide updates to its forward-looking statements.

 

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POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC.

NON-GAAP ADJUSTMENTS TO FULL YEAR 2018 GUIDANCE

 

2018 Adjusted Guidance: 2018 guidance excludes the pre-tax effect of acquisition integration costs of approx. $10 million, supply chain transformation costs of approx. $10 million to $20 million and the remaining impacts associated with the Victory wind down which is estimated to be in the range of $5 million to $10 million. 2018 adjusted sales guidance excludes any Victory wholegood, accessories and apparel sales and corresponding promotional costs as the Company is in the process of exiting the brand. The Company has not provided reconciliations of guidance for adjusted diluted net income per share, in reliance on the unreasonable efforts exception provided under Item 10(e)(1)(i)(B) of Regulation S-K. The Company is unable, without unreasonable efforts, to forecast certain items required to develop meaningful comparable GAAP financial measures. These items include costs associated with the Victory wind down that are difficult to predict in advance in order to include in a GAAP estimate.

 

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