Six months ago, I thought investors could afford to wait on buying into Komatsu (OTCPK:KMTUY)
(6301.TO), as this Japanese manufacturer of construction and mining
equipment was likely looking at a multiyear process of demand repair. I
don't think investors have really missed out on much - the roughly 8%
drop in the ADRs since then is not catastrophic (certainly not relative
to Joy Global's (NYSE:JOY) 31% drop), but investors would have done better in Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), Volvo (OTCPK:VOLVY), Terex (NYSE:TEX) or by avoiding the space altogether.
Looking
ahead, there's arguably a little more value in the shares but the
outlook still isn't promising. There's a real threat that U.S. equipment
demand isn't going to get much better and that growth in Europe won't
offset weakness in Asia and particularly China and Japan. Komatsu does
have an opportunity to stand out on a relative basis with its automation
initiatives and internal cost reductions, but I'm not sure there's
enough upside to make the wait a comfortable one.
Read the full article here:
Komatsu Looking For A Foothold
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