How the Caterpillar Strike Affects Investors

Updated

In today's edition, industrials editor/analyst Brendan Byrnes discusses Caterpillar, which has been dealing with a union machinists strike at a hydraulics plant in Joliet, Ill. Looking at this from purely an investor's point of view, the strike is unlikely to affect Caterpillar in the short term in a material way. The company can likely shift production elsewhere to offset the output from the factory. There is some reputational risk for Caterpillar, which has a history of being tough on unions, as the strike gets more and more media coverage. Still, Brendan thinks this is not something Caterpillar investors should be concerned about right now. Check out the video below for more on the issue, and Brendan's opinion of the stock.

Caterpillar is the market share leader in an industry in which size matters, and its quality products, extensive service network, and unparalleled brand strength combine to give it solid competitive advantages. But there are also risks in owning Caterpillar stock that investors need to know about. Read all about Caterpillar's strengths and weaknesses, plus whether the company is a buy right now in our brand new report. Just click here to access it now.

The article How the Caterpillar Strike Affects Investors originally appeared on Fool.com.

Brendan Byrnes owns shares of Caterpillar. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Advertisement