The RV Market Is on a Roll

You may not have an urge to hit the road in a luxury RV or a Spartan trailer, but you can capitalize on that adventuresome spirit in others by investing in the RV industry. These motor homes and towable travel trailers are a robust $16-billion market in North America, according to marketing firm Lambert, Edwards & Associates.

Now fully recovered from the Great Recession, the RV industry has been expanding almost 15% a year since shipments plunged to a recession low of 166,000 in 2009. Data from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) show shipments were more than 374,000 last year and are on a pace to top 400,000 this year—for the first time in at least four decades.

Our recommended RV plays, Drew Industries (NYSE: DW) and Patrick Industries (NSDQ: PATK), are posting strong gains. Drew rose more than 20% since joining the Profit Catalyst Alert portfolio in June, while Patrick is up about 5% since inclusion a month ago.

Hot Commodities

Towable travel trailers, or towables, are the most popular RVs on the lot. Through August, RVIA reports that sales of towables were up more than 11% for the year. Motor homes aren’t doing too shabby either, with sales so far rising about 10% for the year through August.

With the economy gaining traction, consumers have some extra cash, and today’s decked-out RVs are catching their fancy. Besides having all the usual features, like a fully functional kitchen and abundant sleeping quarters, RVs now feature gadgets such as flat-screen TVs, satellite dishes and video game systems.

But wait, as an RV salesman might tell you, there’s more. Many RVs now also come with central heat and air, power-operated window curtains or shades, touch-screen environmental controls and built-in recharging stations. Rearview cameras and fold-out exterior barbecues are common amenities these days, too.

Those who want the whole nine yards should prepare for some sticker shock. For instance, they could pay up to $160,000 for a new towable that has a two-level floor plan and sleeps up to six. Thor Industries (NYSE: THO), a top RV manufacturer with annual sales approaching $4.6 billion, makes a two-story towable with natural woodwork, a double vanity and a center island. This model, sold under the Keystone brand, costs $55,000.

A new, bus-size luxury motor home with all the bells and whistles can run up to $500,000. So the latest 36-foot Allegro 34 PA made by Alabama-based Tiffin Motorhomes may seem like a deal at around $180,000, especially as it has enough space for a queen-size bed, a booth dinette and a washer-dryer. But not all RVs carry such high price tags, with some costing as little as $9,000 to $10,000.

Demographic Play

Rising RV demand has much to do with demographics, as well as a sturdier economy and high-tech creature comforts. A key trend: Baby boomers—the generation born from 1946 to 1964—are hitting retirement age at a staggering 10,000 per day.p6 RV sales chart

Many surveys document boomers’ affinity for RVs. The 2016 North American Camping Report released earlier this year, for example, found 35% of baby boomers are interested in having a motor home. Younger generations are getting on board, too. About three in 10 Gen Xers (born 1965 to 1981) and millennials (born 1982 to 2004) say they’d like to have a motor home, the North American Camping Report also found.

Millennials should give the RV market an especially big boost as they continue coming of age and earn more money. There are 83 million of them, compared with 75 million baby boomers and 66 million Gen Xers. As the nation’s largest generation, their influence on the RV market will be felt soon. Consumers are increasingly buying RVs in their 30s, 40s and 50s instead of waiting until they retire.

Supplying the Leaders

Neither of our recommended RV industry investments builds or sells RVs, but both are key parts suppliers to Thor Industries.

Drew Industries’ yearly revenue, which soared an annualized 15.9% the past three years, currently tops $1.5 billion thanks to robust demand for components from Thor and other prominent RV manufacturers. Steel chassis, axels, entry doors and leveling equipment are among the many items Drew sells.

At nearly $1.1 billion a year, Patrick Industries’ revenue isn’t far behind Drew’s and is growing substantially faster, up 28.1% annually the past three years. Patrick’s top sellers include pre-finished wall and ceiling panels, audio systems components and cabinetry.

Industry icon Winnebago Industries recently announced a deal to buy Grand Design Recreational Vehicles, a fast-growing start-up founded in 2012 by three former Thor executives. Winnebago’s stock spiked 24% after the announcement, as the acquisition immediately makes the company a formidable force in towables and nicely complements an already dominant motor home business.

Elsewhere in the industry, the nation’s largest RV dealer and accessories supplier, Camping World Holdings (NYSE: CWH), raised $251 million at its early October initial public offering. Established in the 1960s, today Camping World has annual revenue exceeding $3.5 billion, up from $1.5 billion five years ago.

There’s even faster growth at Yeti Holdings, a promising indirect play on the RV market as it makes a line of high-end, portable food and beverage coolers popular with the RV crowd. After tripling sales to $469 million last year, Yeti is expected to go public by the end of this year.

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