Morgan Stanley Overweight On WABCO, Deere, Caterpillar, United Rentals Among Machinery Stocks

Morgan Stanley initiated coverage of machinery stocks belonging to the three industry subgroups — trucks and suppliers, agriculture and construction — in a Friday note.

The Analyst

Morgan Stanley analyst Courtney Yakavonis initiated coverage of the following stocks:

Trucks and Suppliers

  • PACCAR Inc PCAR: Underweight/$69
  • WABCO Holdings Inc. WBC: Overweight/$159
  • Cummins Inc. CMI: Equal-weight/$173
  • Rev Group Inc REVG: Equal-weight/$32

Agricultural Machinery

  • Deere & Company DE: Overweight/$195
  • CNH Global NV CNH: Equal-weight/$14.50
  • AGCO Corporation AGCO: Equal-weight/$69

Construction Machinery

  • Caterpillar Inc. CAT: Overweight/$185
  • Oshkosh Corp OSK: Equal-weight/$86
  • Terex Corporation TEX: Equal-weight/$45
  • United Rentals, Inc. URI: Overweight/$194

The Thesis

Trucks And Supplies

NAFTA Class 8 sales will peak in 2018, Yakavonis said. Morgan Stanley is below consensus on 2019 estimates. 

The analyst sees limited upside to truck OEMs from earnings per share revisions. Additionally, potential electric vehicle disruption is likely to exert pressure on multiples in the firm's bear case, Yakavonis said. 

Secular safety and autonomous tailwinds benefit WABCO, according to Morgan Stanley. 

Agricultural Machinery

Overweighted Deere is likely to be supported by the North American cycle and a potential rebound in corn and soybean prices, Yakanovis said. Inventory headwinds are projected for AGCO, while the analyst said diversification makes CNH relatively less appealing. 

See also: Stifel Upgrades Navistar On Long-Term Potential, Turnaround Story

Construction Machinery

Morgan Stanley sees rising earnings per share revisions for construction machinery companies due to strong end markets, a robust replacement cycle and supportive inventory levels. Valuations of the stocks of these companies look sustainable, Yakavonis said. 

The firm named Caterpillar as its top pick in this segment, while it sees United Rental surging in North American equipment rentals.

Price Action

Here's how the stocks have performed over the last year:

  • PACCAR: Down 0.71 percent.
  • WABCO: Up 18.18 percent.
  • Cummins: Up 4.16 percent.
  • REV Group : Down 6.09 percent.
  • CNH: Up 31.16 percent.
  • AGCO: Up 5.79 percent.
  • Caterpillar: Up 51.64 percent.
  • Oshkosh: Up 9.49 percent.
  • Terex: Up 22.87 percent.
  • United Rentals: Up 29.90 percent.

Related Link:

The Goldman Pair Trade In Machinery: PACCAR Upgraded, Terex Downgraded

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Comments
Loading...
date
ticker
name
Price Target
Upside/Downside
Recommendation
Firm
Posted In: Analyst ColorPrice TargetInitiationAnalyst RatingsCourtney YakavonisMorgan Stanley
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!