Prediction: Caterpillar's Stock Becomes a Buy When This Key Number Turns Around
Nobody said investing in equities was easy, and that observation certainly holds when examining the investment proposition at Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) right now. There is a robust case for buying shares of the heavy machinery maker today, but there's one key thing investors will want to see before buying the stock.Despite a 10% year-over-year decrease in sales in the first quarter and a whopping 27% decline in operating profit, there's still a robust case for buying Caterpillar. It's based on three interconnected factors.Before supporting these points in detail, it's worth noting that Caterpillar generates the overwhelming majority of its sales through independent dealers to end users. The dealers manage their inventory of equipment, and the sales data in the chart below reflects their sales to end users.Continue reading
Nobody said investing in equities was easy, and that observation certainly holds when examining the investment proposition at Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) right now. There is a robust case for buying shares of the heavy machinery maker today, but there's one key thing investors will want to see before buying the stock.
Despite a 10% year-over-year decrease in sales in the first quarter and a whopping 27% decline in operating profit, there's still a robust case for buying Caterpillar. It's based on three interconnected factors.
Before supporting these points in detail, it's worth noting that Caterpillar generates the overwhelming majority of its sales through independent dealers to end users. The dealers manage their inventory of equipment, and the sales data in the chart below reflects their sales to end users.
