Summary
This 8-K filing from Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) on January 25, 2013, provides investors with supplemental information regarding dealer statistics for retail sales of machines and power systems for the three-month rolling period ending December 2012. This data offers a glimpse into the company's sales performance and market trends at a granular level, complementing the official financial statements by reflecting on-the-ground activity through its dealer network. While not audited and subject to reporting lags, these statistics can offer early indicators of business momentum across different geographic regions and end-use sectors.
Key Highlights
- 1Caterpillar is providing unaudited dealer statistics for retail sales of machines and power systems for the three-month rolling period ending December 2012.
- 2Machine retail sales globally saw a 1% decline for the rolling period, driven by decreases in North America (-6%) and Asia/Pacific (-7%), partially offset by strong growth in Latin America (+14%).
- 3The EAME (Europe, Africa, and Middle East) region showed modest growth of 4% in machine retail sales.
- 4Power Systems retail sales for the rolling period experienced a 2% decline globally.
- 5Significant weakness was observed in the Industrial (-20%) and Transportation (-11%) sectors for Power Systems, while Electric Power (+4%) and Petroleum (+3%) showed positive growth.
- 6The company notes that acquisitions, such as EMD, are integrated into statistics approximately one year after closing to allow for comparable periods.
- 7This information is based on reports from independent dealers and is not subject to Caterpillar's internal controls over financial reporting.