Consumer – Leisure: First

Citi researcher Gregory Badishkanian repeats in the winner’s circle. “No one has helped me as much as Greg understand how a ski trip depends on intangibles like the economy or gas prices or the weather,” declares one loyalist. Badishkanian, 43, is generally circumspect heading into the fourth quarter because he thinks that “the risk of economic uncertainty may delay consumers’ making big-ticket leisure purchases such as a motorcycle or a recreational vehicle, as well as booking a cruise.” Nonetheless, he maintains buy ratings on Medina, Minnesota’s Polaris Industries, which is known for its motorcycles and snowmobiles, and Thor Industries, a Jackson Center, Ohio–based RV manufacturer. “Polaris will continue to pick up market share at least over the next few quarters and should significantly outpace the all-terrain vehicle industry,” he says. The stock was trading at $75.19 in late August; Badishkanian has a price target of $94. Thor “saw solid sales improvement through July,” he says, and that will boost margins. His target is $40 — 27.2 percent above the share price in late August.