Wunderlich: Thor Industries Trade Show A 'Potential Catalyst'

According to Rommel Dionisio of Wunderlich Securities, Tuesday's RVIA National RV Trade show in Louisville could represent an important catalyst for shares of Thor Industries, Inc. THO.

"This week's annual RVIA show promises to be one of the largest in history, if feedback from other recent trade shows is any indication," Dionisio wrote in a note on Monday. "Over the next several weeks, Thor should have built up a strong backlog of pre-season orders from dealers, to be fulfilled over the next several months."

The analyst adds that pre-season dealer orders for 2015 RVs are already higher by a single-digit year-over-year and new product launches by Thor could drive market share growth.

In fact, Thor's new model introductions in Towables and Motorhomes could result in near-term market share gains, especially among the higher-margin Motorhome segment.

According to Dionisio, Thor is in a better position now than it was a year ago when it was adversely impacted by restructuring initiatives. Since then, the company has added additional production capacity, positioning the company to address the stronger demand seen industry-wide.

In addition to the upcoming Trade Show, Thor will report its first-quarter results this week. The analyst is projecting the company to earn $0.82 per share on revenue of $880 million, representing an 11 percent growth from a year ago.

Shares are Buy rated with a $66 price target.