Every day, the sun rises on Wall Street, and a plethora of professional analysts wake to issue new opinions on stocks. Here at the Fool, we use our "This Just In" column to examine some of these picks -- and the track record of the firm behind them -- so individuals can make better investing decisions.
In addition to following professional banks, anyone can use Motley Fool CAPS to monitor the collective opinions of more than 115,000 members, many of whom demonstrate better investing insight than published analysts do.
Enough top-performing CAPS members are singing a more bullish tune on Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) recently to upgrade it from its sub-par two-star rank to a more respectable three stars. 1,572 members have given their opinion on Harley-Davidson, with many of them offering analysis and commentary explaining the recent optimism.
Even though they're not directly tied to the subprime and credit mess, big names like Harley-Davidson, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), and Target (NYSE: TGT) are feeling the effects of the troubled economy and have seen their stocks fall below historic valuation levels. The connection is there though -- Harley-Davidson has significantly scaled back production and plans to ship only 303,500 to 307,500 motorcycles this year to better match weaker demand.
There are opportunities to grow the business in a few areas though -- high gas prices domestically, interest in motorcycles internationally, and accessories. Some CAPS members see expensive gas prices fueling sales for Harley, as more drivers are turning away from Ford (NYSE: F) and GM (NYSE: GM) trucks to more fuel-efficient cars from the likes of Honda (NYSE: HMC) and fuel-sipping motor bikes.
The acquisition of Italian premium sport bike maker MV Agusta Group will provide more growth opportunity in Europe as well. Harley's own sales in Europe have been growing steadily for the past three years, boding well for the acquisition. And its motorcycle parts and accessories division could reach some additional customers now that Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) is offering these items through its storefront. Collectively, 81% of the CAPS members rating Harley-Davidson expect it to beat the market.
To see what the very best CAPS analysts are saying now about Harley-Davidson -- as well as other winning stocks they are picking -- head on over to CAPS and have a look.
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