Friday, May 25, 2007

 

RV MAKERS MAY STRUGGLE THIS SUMMER

NEW YORK (AP) -- Motor home and recreational vehicle owners may hit the road this weekend as summer unofficially begins, but future sales may not be robust as consumers endure record gasoline prices.
RV makers were up Friday in light trading ahead of the three-day Memorial Day weekend. But analysts said high gas prices and industry trends could keep sales down during the summer.

"We continue to be cautious on motor home focused companies, such as Winnebago Industries Inc., given the weak retail sales trends and our view that we have not yet seen a significant improvement," said Citigroup analyst Gregory Badishkanian.

Avondale Partners analyst Kathryn Thompson said RV dealers were expecting a better year, but fuel prices were keeping industry sales, and stocks, from rising.

Here's how some mobile home and recreational vehicle stocks performed Friday:

Winnebago shares were up 21 cents to $31.68.

Thor Industries Inc. closed up 18 cents to $41.70.

Shares of Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. gained 18 cents, or 2 percent, to $9.39.

Monaco Coach Corp. stock added 19 cents to $15.36.

Coachmen Industries Inc. shares lost 16 cents, or 1.5 percent to $10.23.

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