Summary
This Form 8-K filing by Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) on July 24, 2012, provides supplemental information regarding dealer statistics for retail sales of machines and power systems, based on unaudited reports from its independent dealers. This data offers a look into the company's business and the industries it serves, bridging the gap between Caterpillar's sales to dealers and dealer deliveries to end users. The report covers a 3-month rolling period ending June 2012 and compares it to the same period in the prior year, presented in constant dollars and based on unit sales. The key takeaway for investors is the observed performance across different regions and business sectors. While overall machine retail sales showed a modest global increase, regional performance varied significantly. Power systems sales presented a mixed picture, with strong growth in the Petroleum and Transportation sectors, but declines in Electric Power and Industrial segments. This information is intended to provide a more granular understanding of Caterpillar's operational trends beyond its official financial statements.
Key Highlights
- 1Caterpillar is providing supplemental, unaudited dealer statistics for retail sales of machines and power systems for the 3-month rolling period ending June 2012.
- 2Global retail sales of machines increased by 11% in the 3-month rolling period ending June 2012 compared to the prior year.
- 3North America showed robust growth in machine retail sales, up 24% for the period.
- 4Asia/Pacific also demonstrated positive growth in machine retail sales, up 16% for the period.
- 5EAME (Europe, Africa, and Middle East) machine retail sales were flat (0%) for the period.
- 6Total power systems retail sales increased by 7% for the period, driven by strong performance in Petroleum (up 29%) and Transportation (up 19%).
- 7Electric Power and Industrial segments for power systems experienced declines, down 11% and 15% respectively for the period.