Harley-Davidson (HOG) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript

Motley Fool Transcribing, The Motley Fool

Tue, May 5, 2026 astatine 9:40 AM CDT 41 min read

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Date

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 astatine 9 a.m. ET

Call participants

• Chief Executive Officer — Arthur Starrs

• Chief Financial Officer — Jonathan Root

Full Conference Call Transcript

Arthur Starrs: Thank you, Shawn, and bully morning, everyone, and convey you for joining america contiguous for our Q1 2026 fiscal results arsenic good arsenic an instauration to our caller strategical plan, which we are calling Back to the Bricks. I volition statesman with an overview of our Q1 performance. Jonathan volition past supply further fiscal commentary earlier we crook to our strategy. Before I get into it, I would similar to instrumentality a infinitesimal to admit our profoundly committed and passionate Harley-Davidson, Inc. employees who enactment tirelessly to bring Harley-Davidson, Inc. live crossed the world. Thank you, Team HD. Starting with retail sales, we are pleased with our show this quarter.

North America delivered a 14% summation versus the anterior year, contributing to planetary retail income maturation of 8% successful what remains a challenging user environment. These results bespeak the interaction of the actions we person taken to thrust request and amended execution. As noted connected the Q4 net call, trader wellness and inventory levels stay a cardinal absorption for the company. During the quarter, we reduced planetary inventory by 22% twelvemonth implicit year, arsenic we continued to prioritize trader inventory sell-through and aligning wholesale shipments with retail demand. We volition stock much item connected this successful our strategy discussion. Strengthening trader relationships has besides remained a priority.

We admit the captious relation our trader web plays successful the Harley-Davidson, Inc. ecosystem, and we are encouraged by the renewed consciousness of concern and momentum crossed the network. This volition beryllium an important operator arsenic we determination guardant into our adjacent chapter. During the quarter, we besides formally reopened our Juneau Avenue office successful Milwaukee, Wisconsin, affectionately referred to by our Harley-Davidson, Inc. assemblage arsenic the Bricks, with our employees astatine office returning to the bureau for the archetypal clip since 2020. Finally, we person been encouraged by the aboriginal reception to our caller selling platform, Ride. I volition talk much astir the marque level and the worth we judge it volition bring arsenic portion of our strategy presentation.

With that, I volition crook it implicit to Jonathan.

Jonathan Root: Thank you, Arthur, and bully greeting to all. I program to commencement connected leafage 4 of the presumption wherever I volition concisely summarize the fiscal results for the archetypal quarter. Subsequently, I volition spell into further item connected each concern segment. Let maine commencement with our consolidated fiscal results for 2026. Consolidated gross successful the archetypal 4th was down 12%, driven chiefly by HDFS gross being down 54% arsenic it moved into a caller capital-light exemplary aft the closing of the HDFS transaction wherever we sold a important portion of the retail indebtedness publication and agreed to a guardant travel successful which we expect to merchantability astir two-thirds of aboriginal originations.