HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC. REPORTS RECORD THIRD QUARTER PERFORMANCE AND  ANNOUNCES UNIT PRODUCTION INCREASES
  MILWAUKEE, Oct 11, 1999 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Harley-Davidson,  Inc. (NYSE: HDI) today announced record sales and earnings for its  third quarter ended September 26, 1999. The Company's third quarter  sales were $623.2 million, an increase of 20.5 percent over the third  quarter last year. Earnings per share for the third quarter were 42  cents, a 25.0 percent increase compared with last year. "During the  third quarter we launched a completely redesigned Softail(R) family  consisting of seven models, all of which are powered by our new Twin  Cam 88B(TM) counterbalanced engine, " said Jeffrey L. Bleustein,  chairman and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. 
  "Based upon the positive reception of our new model year 2000 products  by the motorcycle press, our dealers and our customers, and the  continuing strength of the worldwide heavyweight motorcycle market, we  have increased our Harley-Davidson(R) motorcycle production target for  1999 to 175,000 units," said Bleustein. "With this same confidence in  the motorcycle market and our production capabilities, we are  establishing a production target of 193,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles  for the 2000 calendar year." 
  Motorcycles and Related Products Segment -- Third Quarter Results Third  quarter sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles were $455.7 million, an  increase of 18.9 percent over the third quarter last year. Shipments of  Harley-Davidson motorcycles totaled 42,615 units, up 6,187 units or  17.0 percent over last year. 
  Buell(R) motorcycle sales for the quarter totaled $16.7 million on  shipments of 1,984 units, an increase of $7.5 million or 915 units  relative to last year. 
  Sales of Parts and Accessories (P&A), which consist of Genuine Motor  Parts(TM) and Genuine Motor Accessories(TM), totaled $109.6 million, a  21.5 percent increase from the year-ago quarter. Third quarter sales of  General Merchandise, which consists of MotorClothes(R) apparel and  collectibles, totaled $40.9 million, up 22.2 percent over the same  period last year. 
  Third quarter gross margin was 32.8 percent of revenue, down slightly  from 33.1 percent of revenue last year. Additional costs associated  with the most extensive product launch in recent company history and  the effect of a higher proportion of lower margin Sportster(R)  motorcycles resulted in a lower gross margin. 
  Third quarter operating margin for the Motorcycles and Related Products  Segment was 15.4 percent of revenue, which is identical to last year's  record third quarter operating margin. "These record earnings and  margin are noteworthy considering the significant investments that we  are making in our future and the aggressive product launch that we  executed during the quarter," said Bleustein. 
  The worldwide heavyweight motorcycle market continues to grow rapidly.  In the U.S., total industry retail registrations have grown at 22.7  percent, while registrations of Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycles  have grown at 25.7 percent through August, increasing the Company's  market share. Harley- Davidson and Buell are also gaining market share  in both the Europe and Asia/Pacific markets. (See table that follows  for more detail.) 
  Financial Services Segment Harley-Davidson Financial Services, Inc.  (formerly Eaglemark Financial Services, Inc.), a subsidiary of  Harley-Davidson, Inc., reported third quarter operating income of $7.5  million, up $3.9 million compared to the year-ago quarter. The  subsidiary financed 22.5 percent of the Company's U.S. motorcycle  retail sales compared with 19.9 percent during the year ago period. It  has further benefited from the increase in Harley-Davidson's U.S.  retail sales volume. 
  Share Repurchase During the third quarter, Harley-Davidson repurchased  approximately 1.4 million shares of its common stock. This brings the  1999 year-to-date repurchase to a total of 2.4 million shares. 
  Nine Month Results For the nine month period, sales totaled $1,790  million, a 19.3 percent increase over the year-ago period. Diluted  earnings per share were $1.24, an increase of 26.0 percent compared to  the first nine months last year. 
  Through the first nine months of this year, Harley-Davidson motorcycle  revenue was $1,361 million, an 18.8 percent increase, while Buell  motorcycle revenue was $45.3 million, a 29.9 percent increase compared  with the same period in 1998. 
  For the first nine months of 1999, P&A revenue totaled $284.4 million,  a 22.1 percent increase, while General Merchandise revenue totaled  $97.6 million, a 14.6 percent increase compared with the same period in  1998. 
  Forward-Looking Statements The Company intends that certain matters  discussed in this release are "forward-looking statements" intended to  qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private  Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking  statements can be statements that describe the Company's future plans,  objectives, targets or goals. Such forward-looking statements are  subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual  results to differ materially from those anticipated as of the date of  this release. Certain of such risks and uncertainties are described  below. Shareholders, potential investors, and other readers are urged  to consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements  and cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking  statements. The forward-looking statements included in this release are  only made as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no  obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to  reflect subsequent events or circumstances. 
  The Company's ability to reach targeted production objectives depends  upon, among other factors, (i) continued realization of production  efficiencies at its manufacturing facilities; (ii) successful  implementation of production capacity increases in its facilities;  (iii) the sale of all motorcycles the Company has the capacity to  produce; (iv) product availability; and (v) successful introduction of  new products. In addition, the Company could experience delays in the  operation of manufacturing facilities, work stoppages, difficulty with  suppliers, natural causes or other factors. Risk factors are also  disclosed in securities documents previously filed by the Company with  the Securities and Exchange Commission. 
  Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for Harley-Davidson Motor  Company, Buell Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Financial  Services, Inc. Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based  motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and offers a  complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel, and general  merchandise. Buell Motorcycle Company produces sport and sport-touring  motorcycles. Harley- Davidson Financial Services, Inc. provides  wholesale and retail financing, insurance and credit card programs to  Harley-Davidson dealers and customers.      TABLES FOLLOW                               Harley-Davidson, Inc.                  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income                                  (Unaudited)                    (In thousands, except per share amounts)                                 Three Months Ended         Nine Months Ended                                 Sep. 26,    Sep. 27,      Sep. 26,     Sep. 27,                                 1999        1998         1999          1998       Net sales                $623,193    $517,198    $1,790,476    $1,500,889     Gross profit              204,658     171,139       606,786       498,542     Operating income     Motorcycles and related      products                  95,907      79,870       287,524       234,167     Financial services          7,514       3,599        19,274        12,539     Corporate expenses         (2,024)     (3,330)       (7,450)       (8,521)     Total operating income    101,397      80,139       299,348       238,185     Interest income, net        2,090       1,056         5,571         2,442     Other income (expense), net  (556)      1,287        (1,019)         (508)     Income before provision      for taxes                102,931      82,482       303,900       240,119     Provision for income taxes 37,569      30,110       110,924        87,647     Net income                $65,362     $52,372      $192,976      $152,472       Earnings per common share:       Basic                      $.43        $.34         $1.26         $1.00       Diluted                    $.42        $.34         $1.24          $.99       Weighted-average common shares:       Basic                   152,196     152,434       152,770       152,069       Diluted                 154,604     154,903       155,294       154,558                                 Harley-Davidson, Inc.                     Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets                                 (In thousands)                                             Sep. 26,     Dec. 31,     Sep. 27,                                             1999         1998         1998                                          (unaudited)               (unaudited)     ASSETS     Current assets:       Cash and cash equivalent           $163,834      $165,170      $122,146       Accounts receivable, net            125,554       113,417       112,305       Finance receivables, net            419,955       360,341       337,924       Inventories                         166,812       155,616       145,019     Other current assets                   53,369        50,419        52,105     Total current assets                  929,524       844,963       769,499       Finance receivables, net              389,263       319,427       352,866     Other long-term assets                766,991       755,819       695,492       Total assets                       $2,085,778    $1,920,209    $1,817,857       LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY     Current liabilities:       Current portion of finance debt    $173,974      $146,742      $132,413       Other current liabilities           388,427       321,773       302,177     Total current liabilities             562,401       468,515       434,590       Finance debt                          280,000       280,000       280,000     Other long-term liabilities            66,652        69,700        63,510     Postretirement health care benefits    74,183        72,083        70,605     Total shareholders' equity          1,102,542     1,029,911       969,152       Total liabilities and      shareholders' equity              $2,085,778    $1,920,209    $1,817,857                                 Harley-Davidson, Inc.                            Net Sales and Motorcycle                                 Shipment Data                                  Three Months Ended        Nine Months Ended                                 Sep. 26,    Sep. 27,     Sep. 26,     Sep. 27,                                 1999       1998          1999         1998       NET SALES (in thousands)     Harley-Davidson(R)      motorcycles             $455,650    $383,336    $1,360,733    $1,145,554     Buell(R) motorcycles       16,749       9,234        45,314        34,893     Parts & Accessories       109,604      90,222       284,353       232,826     General Merchandise        40,919      33,473        97,625        85,164     Other                         271         933         2,451         2,452     Total net sales          $623,193    $517,198    $1,790,476    $1,500,889       HARLEY-DAVIDSON UNITS     Motorcycle shipments:        United States           31,764      27,126        97,540        79,776        Export                  10,851       9,302        31,027        28,887           Total                42,615      36,428       128,567       108,663       Motorcycle product mix:         Touring                  27.8%       26.3%         27.2%         25.1%         Custom                   47.3        49.9          49.2          52.3         Sportster                24.9        23.8          23.6          22.6            Total                100.0       100.0         100.0         100.0       BUELL UNITS     Motorcycle shipments        1,984       1,069         5,509         3,916               Available 651cc+ Motorcycle Retail Registrations (Units).                                                1999       1998    % change       UNITED STATES (August YTD)             207,529    169,090    +22.7       HDI                                   95,755     76,190    +25.7       EUROPE (July YTD)                      242,086    213,345    +13.5       HDI                                   15,156     12,957    +17.0       JAPAN/AUSTRALIA (July YTD)              40,084     39,155     +2.4       HDI                                    7,067      6,379    +10.8       TOTAL                                  489,699    421,590    +16.2       HDI                                  117,978     95,526    +23.5       HDI includes both Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycles       Sources:  Motorcycle Industry Council, Giral S.A., JAMA, ABS
  SOURCE Harley-Davidson, Inc.  (C) 1999 PR Newswire.  All rights reserved. prnewswire.com  -0- CONTACT:       Financial, Pat Davidson, 414-343-8002, or Media, Kal Demitros,                414-343-4587, both of Harley-Davidson, Inc.                /Company News On-Call:  prnewswire.com or fax,                800-758-5804, ext. 106632                (HDI)     GEOGRAPHY:     Wisconsin   INDUSTRY CODE: AUT   SUBJECT CODE:  ERN   |