Summary
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) filed an 8-K on March 19, 2015, providing supplemental information on retail sales of machines and power systems for the three-month rolling periods ending December 2014, January 2015, and February 2015. This data, based on unaudited dealer reports and not subject to internal financial controls, offers an indication of sales trends at the end-user level, which can differ from Caterpillar's direct sales to dealers. The report also includes a breakdown of machine and engine/locomotive retail sales by end-use for 2014 and 2013. Investors should note the overall downward trend in machine retail sales across most geographic regions, particularly significant declines in Latin America and Asia/Pacific, with North America showing more moderate decreases or stability. The Resource Industries segment experienced notable declines, while Construction Industries showed mixed results by region. In contrast, the Energy & Transportation segment demonstrated positive retail sales growth across all major end-uses, driven by Power Generation, Transportation, and Oil & Gas. While this supplemental data provides a valuable look at market demand, it is crucial for investors to remember that it is unaudited and may not precisely reflect Caterpillar's financial performance, which is reported in its audited financial statements. The company also noted a change in its reporting for Resource Industries to include certain mining equipment, which impacts comparability for recent periods.
Key Highlights
- 1Supplemental retail sales data for machines and power systems provided for three-month rolling periods ending December 2014, January 2015, and February 2015.
- 2Machine retail sales show a global decline, with significant weakness in Asia/Pacific and Latin America, while North America experienced more moderate decreases.
- 3Resource Industries segment retail sales experienced considerable year-over-year declines across most regions.
- 4Construction Industries segment showed mixed regional performance, with declines in Latin America and Asia/Pacific but some stability or slight increases in EAME and North America.
- 5Energy & Transportation segment demonstrated robust growth in retail sales across Power Generation, Industrial, Transportation, and Oil & Gas end-uses.
- 6Data is based on unaudited dealer reports and is intended to provide an approximate indication of trends, not as a substitute for audited financial statements.
- 7Inclusion of new product data in Resource Industries reporting starting January 2015 impacts period-over-period comparisons for that segment.