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Forest River

Forest River Benefitting from Record Industry-Wide Sales

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway’s RV manufacturer, Forest River, is riding high as a result of record industry-wide sales.

Since coming out of the Great Recession, the industry has been setting year-after-year sales records.

Sales are now at the highest level since the industry began tracking sales statistics in 1979.

Total 2016 RV shipments reached 430,961 total units, up a whopping 15.1% over 2015.

“The RV lifestyle has become ingrained in so many areas of this country and the incredibly strong U.S. shipment totals reflect that,” said Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) President Frank Hugelmeyer. “What I’m particularly proud of is the way that our industry continues to stay a step ahead of the economic curve. Our strong numbers are increasingly being viewed as a bellwether of the economy, and the fact that they continued all the way to the end of December is a great signal for the coming year.”

According to the RVIA, Towable were the largest share of the cumulative total, with a record-busting total of 375,950 units shipped in 2016, up 15% from the previous year.

The annual motorhome shipment increase was nearly identical on a percentage basis, with 54,741 units shipped, a 15.7% increase over 2015 totals. Of those motorhomes, type C motorhomes and type B motorhomes were up 26.8% and 24.1% for the year, respectively.

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.