Harley-Davidson CEO: Election Is Damaging The American Brand

Harley-Davidson's (HOG) - Get Report impressive first-quarter earnings beat was somewhat overshadowed by continued sluggishness in the U.S. The legendary motorcycle maker reported first-quarter earnings of $1.36 a share earlier this week, handily beating Wall Street estimates of $1.29. Spurred by sales gains in Asia, Europe and Canada due to increased marketing and new product introductions, overall revenue rose 4.3% year over year to $1.58 billion. Analysts expected $1.5 billion in sales. 'A lot of the growth internationally is just providing access to the brand, it's really well-known and in a lot of international markets motorcycle riding is ubiquitous,' explained Harley-Davidson President and CEO Matt Levatich about the strength overseas in an interview with TheStreet. Harley-Davidson, which has recently seen its stock come under pressure over concerns about the health of its U.S. business, managed to alleviate some concerns by reiterating its financial targets for the year.