Summary
Caterpillar Inc. filed an 8-K report on February 17, 2017, providing supplemental information on retail sales statistics for the three-month rolling period ending in January 2017. This filing is intended to offer a clearer picture of end-user demand, given the lag between Caterpillar's sales to dealers and dealers' sales to end-users. The report details retail sales of machines by geographic region for the Construction and Resource Industries segments, as well as retail sales of power systems for the Energy & Transportation segment. Key insights from the data indicate a continued global downturn in retail machine sales, with the 'World' category showing an 8% decrease for the three months ending January 2017. While some regions like Asia/Pacific show positive trends (up 26% for total machines), others, particularly EAME and Latin America, are experiencing significant declines. The Energy & Transportation segment also reflects a broad-based decline across its sub-sectors, with total retail sales down 11% for the period. Investors should note that this data is unaudited and based on voluntary dealer reports, providing an indicative trend rather than precise financial performance.
Key Highlights
- 1The report provides unaudited, rolling 3-month retail sales statistics for machines and power systems, ending January 2017.
- 2Global retail sales of machines showed a decline of 8% for the three months ended January 2017 compared to the prior year.
- 3Asia/Pacific remains a strong region for machine retail sales, showing a 26% increase for the period.
- 4EAME and Latin America continue to experience significant year-over-year declines in machine retail sales.
- 5The Energy & Transportation segment's total retail sales declined by 11% for the three months ended January 2017.
- 6Data is based on voluntary dealer reports and is intended to indicate trends, not as a substitute for audited financial statements.
- 7The filing is made under Regulation FD to provide transparency on market demand indicators.