Northcoast analyst Brandon Rolle said his recent checks on Harley-Davidson for May showed continued weakness in U.S. retail despite easy comparisons and "aggressive" lending from its financing arm. Persistent weakness in U.S. retail sales has also hurt dealers' willingness to take on the company's new electric vehicles, said Rolle, who keeps a Neutral rating on Harley shares.

Harley-Davidson continues to expect: HDMC revenue flat to down 9% and operating income margin of 12.6%-13.6%, HDFS operating income flat to up 5%, LiveWire electric motorcycle unit sales of 1,000 to 1,500 and Harley-Davidson capital investments of $225M-$250M.

Notable companies reporting before tomorrow's open, with earnings consensus, include Merck (MRK), consensus $1.87... Caterpillar (CAT), consensus $5.14... Comcast (CMSCA), consensus 99c... Honeywell (HON), consensus $2.17... Bristol-Myers (BMY), consensus ($4.44)... Altria (MO), consensus $1.15... Keurig Dr. Pepper (KDP), consensus 35c... GE Vernova (GEV), consensus (37c)... Royal Caribbean (RCL), consensus $1.33... Tractor Supply (TSCO), consensus $1.72... Mobileye (MBLY), consensus (6c)... Textron (TXT), consensus $1.23... LabCorp (LH), consensus $3.48... Southwest Airlines (LUV), consensus (34c)... American Airlines (AAL), consensus (29c)... Harley-Davidson (HOG), consensus $1.51.

Morgan Stanley assumed coverage of Harley-Davidson with an Overweight rating and $50 price target. Harley-Davidson is an iconic brand with leading market share in the U.S. motorcycle industry and "a fiercely loyal customer base," says the analyst, who believes a refocused strategy under new leadership, along with strong capital allocation discipline, will lead to upside to consensus earnings estimates.