Certain activity sectors such as building and construction in general are particularly well represented on the major stock markets. This is why we will here examine the Caterpillar Group in detail with information and a historical analysis of its stock market price.
First, while some of the Group's targeted sectors are currently in recession, others are booming. This is particularly the case for the construction and mining sector in emerging countries. It goes without saying that the Caterpillar group has the necessary resources and a sufficient presence in these countries to position itself as the supplier of choice.
Despite the fact that the Caterpillar Group faces increasing competition in certain specific sectors with large and more specialised companies, Caterpillar is making strategic acquisitions of companies to enable it to face them under the best conditions.
Finally, new types of markets are also opening up and could open new doors for Caterpillar. This is particularly the case for green vehicles requiring more natural gas.
Despite the fact that Caterpillar is able to outperform some of its competitors, new competitors are struggling to gain market share. This is the case, in particular, of the Stiff group, which has put a lot of emphasis on its development in China.
As we have seen above, the group could continue to suffer the negative effects of the construction sector crisis in the United States and China as well as an increasingly high level of inflation.
Finally, the group also depends a lot on the price of the necessary equipment but also on the political stability of the countries in which large farms of this type are located.
The American group Caterpillar is currently the international leader in the manufacturing and production of materials destined for the construction sector. Its activities can be divided into a variety of different sectors, the major activity being the sale of machines and motors but also including the provision of financial services albeit at less than 5%.
With around a hundred production sites around the world, Caterpillar works in the American market as well as in Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Quoted on the Euronext non Euro zone stock market, Caterpillar shares are also included in the calculation of the Dow Jones stock market index.
While Caterpillar is undoubtedly one of the leaders in its sector, it is also in competition with other companies, which we propose you discover here with a detailed presentation of its main opponents.
First of all, the BIA Group is a technology company specialising in the development and manufacture of systems and solutions as well as machinery for various industries such as automotive, aerospace or agriculture and offers equipment to these companies with innovative solutions. The group is active in Europe, Asia and North America.
Another competitor of Caterpillar is the Orenstein & Koppel Group, also known as O&K. It is a German engineering company founded in 1876 and was originally a mining engineering company producing narrow gauge railway equipment. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the group has also produced construction equipment, including excavators and bucket excavators, and quickly specialised in heavy equipment and escalators.
Still among the major competitors of the Caterpillar group is Unit Rig, a manufacturer of transport trucks marketed under the Lectra Haul brand. The company was founded in 1935 with the creation of a rotating drilling platform for oilfield work that was more mobile and practical than existing solutions.
Finally, the last serious competitor to the Caterpillar group is P&H Mining Equipment, which specialises in the design, construction and support of a wide range of drilling and material handling machines. These are marketed under the P&H brand and applied to open pit mineral and energy extraction operations worldwide. The company is also a subsidiary of Joy Global. This group was acquired in 2017 by Komatsu Limited in Tkyo and is now known as Komatsu Mining Corporation which is a subsidiary of Komastu.
In 2008 Caterpillar announced an agreement with Trimble for the creation of a collaborative company named VirtualSite Solutions, as well as a distribution agreement.
Caterpillar and the Ariel Corporation created a joint venture in 2012 to supply complete pressure pump solutions to global petrol and gas clients.
In 2013, Shell Canada and Caterpillar signed an agreement in order to test a new engine and fuel mixture notably composed of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) that could reduce operating costs and lead to a reduction in emissions from the mining of the tar sands in the north of Alberta.
In 2016 Redbird signed a partnership agreement with Caterpillar. To be more precise, it actually implemented two types of partnerships. One relative to technology as it worked with Caterpillar on the development of solutions that enabled the combination of machine data with data available from drone flights, and a sales/marketing partnership that enabled them to sell their product throughout all the countries of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Any self respecting investor that wishes to implement an investment strategy on the stock markets over the medium or long term will tell you that it is imperative that you really know the company of the asset upon which you plan to speculate before you take position. In fact, by analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the Caterpillar Company you will be far more capable of anticipating future movements in its share price and therefore in a position to further improve your strategies. This is what we offer you here by commencing with a detailed summary of this company’s advantages and strong points.
Firstly, the Caterpillar Group offers the advantage of being one of the largest companies in its activity sector worldwide. This has notably been possible due to the quality and breadth of its network throughout various countries on all the continents.
Caterpillar has also managed to ensure a stable income by investing in the quality of its after sales service which represents an ideal balanced level of efficacy throughout the world. Due to this the company has shown it is capable of positioning itself in a highly effective manner to face the competition and sell its products in all the respective markets.
We also appreciate the ability of the Caterpillar Group to diversify its range of products. In fact, in order to consistently respond to the different requirements of its clients it is always developing new complementary or additional products and holds many significant patents.
The Caterpillar Group can also count upon its strong and effective expansion strategy which is primarily based upon well thought out acquisition operations. This was notably the case with the recent acquisition of certain companies such as Bucyrus, EMD and MWM which have rapidly become highly profitable subsidiaries for the group and provided new benefits.
Finally, the Caterpillar Group can also count upon its considerable work force which constitutes over 150,000 employees throughout the world to guarantee its clients a rapid response to their requirements and meet production objectives under the best conditions.
Now that you have had the opportunity to learn about the strengths and advantages of Caterpillar shares you are probably eager to take a buy position on this stock market asset. However, before doing so you should also take the time to learn about the weak points and disadvantages of the Caterpillar Group that could negatively influence the profits of this company thereby rendering its shares less appealing for investors which in turn would lead to a fall in its price on the charts.
The first disadvantage of Caterpillar shares remains this group’s strong exposure to the European market. In fact, the sales achieved in Europe by Caterpillar represent no less than 25% of the group’s global income. Despite a highly judicious and well managed expansion programme the group is still directly exposed to the risk of a decrease in its activity and income in the case of an economic crisis in Europe, the sales throughout the rest of the world would not be enough to compensate for such a loss. This problem is even more of a threat as Europe has not succeeded in fully re-launching its growth.
Although the European market is of course a source of anxiety for the Caterpillar Group other markets are also undergoing a current crisis. We know for example that sales in Africa and the Middle East are currently decreasing overall and the state of the markets do not permit us to foresee a recovery in the near future. We can therefore expect to see a fall in major activity during the coming years with supplementary losses that will directly impact the group’s profitability.
Finally, the American market is also not safe from the possibility of a major loss in sales for the Caterpillar Group. The company sells a major part of its construction machinery to the real estate and construction sectors. As these markets are currently undergoing major crises this contributes to a decrease in orders for such items.
