Polaris Posts Strong 1Q Results, Shares Up

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Polaris Industries Inc. said Wednesday that its first-quarter profit jumped 27 percent, boosted by strong sales of off-road vehicles and motorcycles.

The Minneapolis-based company also boosted its full-year guidance, predicting that 2012 will be a record year. Its shares jumped more than 8 percent in premarket trading.

Polaris posted net income of $60.1 million, or 85 cents per share, for the three months ended March 31, up from $47.3 million, or 67 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

Total sales rose 25 percent to $673.8 million from $537.2 million.

The results beat Wall Street predictions. Analysts, on average, expected a profit of 77 cents per share on $615.3 million in revenue, according to a FactSet poll.

Polaris credited the jump in sales to higher industry-wide demand for motorcycles and off-road vehicles, along with market share gains.

Sales of off-road vehicles jumped 30 percent to $504.6 million to $504.6 million, while sales of on-road vehicles, including motorcycles, jumped 44 percent to $64.7 million. Snowmobile sales tumbled 48 percent to $4.6 million, the company said.

The company said it continues to see strong demand and has boosted production at several of its plants.

Polaris said it now expects to post a 2012 profit of $3.85 to $4 per share on sales growth of 10 percent to 13 percent. Based on the company's 2011 sales of $2.66 billion, the guidance implies 2012 sales of $2.93 billion to $3.01 billion.

In January, Polaris projected a 2012 profit of $3.65 to $3.80 per share on sales growth of 5 percent to 8 percent.

Analysts polled by FactSet expect earnings of $3.89 per share on $2.93 billion in sales.

In premarket trading, Polaris shares rose $6.01, or 8.2 percent, to $79.14 per share. That would top its 52-week high of $75.60 set earlier this month if the gain carries into the regular session.

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