Summary
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) filed an 8-K on August 18, 2017, to provide supplemental information regarding retail sales of its machines and power systems. This data, primarily based on unaudited dealer reports, offers an indication of trends and is distinct from Caterpillar's audited financial statements. The report focuses on rolling three-month retail sales statistics, providing insights into performance by geographic region for its Construction and Resource Industries segments, and by major end-use for its Energy & Transportation segment.
Key Highlights
- 1The filing provides supplemental, unaudited data on retail sales to end users, which is not part of Caterpillar's official financial reporting but aims to illustrate business trends.
- 2For the three-month period ended July 2017, global retail machine sales showed a positive trend, increasing by 12% year-over-year.
- 3The Construction Industries segment experienced a strong global retail sales increase of 13% for the three months ended July 2017.
- 4Asia/Pacific was a standout region for Construction Industries, with retail sales up 54% in the three months ended July 2017.
- 5The Resource Industries segment's global retail sales were up 8% for the three months ended July 2017, showing a recovery from prior periods' declines.
- 6Energy & Transportation segment's total retail sales saw a slight decline of 2% for the three months ended July 2017, with mixed performance across its sub-industries (Power Generation down 12%, Industrial up 23%, Transportation down 8%, Oil & Gas down 2%).
Frequently Asked Questions
This 8-K filing is to provide supplemental, unaudited information on Caterpillar's retail sales of machines and power systems to end users. This data is intended to help investors better understand business trends, particularly given the lag between Caterpillar's sales to dealers and dealers' sales to end users.
No, the information presented in this report is primarily based on unaudited reports voluntarily provided by Caterpillar's independent dealers and is not subject to Caterpillar's internal controls over financial reporting. It is intended to convey an approximate indication of trends and is not a substitute for Caterpillar's audited financial statements filed with the SEC.
For the three-month rolling period ended July 2017, the Asia/Pacific region demonstrated significant strength, with total machine retail sales up 45% year-over-year. The Construction Industries segment in Asia/Pacific was particularly strong, with a 54% increase in retail sales.
The Energy & Transportation segment experienced a slight overall decline of 2% in retail sales for the three months ended July 2017. Performance varied by industry, with Power Generation and Transportation showing declines, while Industrial sales increased significantly, and Oil & Gas saw a slight decrease after prior increases.