Inventory Burn From Caterpillar to Coca-Cola Set to Hit U.S. GDP

  • Corporate America cites bloated stockpiles on earnings calls
  • Morgan Stanley looks for large reversal in the second quarter
Photographer: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg
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U.S. companies including Coca-Cola Co., Whirlpool Corp. and Caterpillar Inc. confront the need to reverse bloated stockpiles of products after inventories surged across corporate America the past three quarters.

At Coca-Cola, the largest soft-drink maker, European customers bought in advance of possible disruptions from the U.K. exit from the European Union. At appliance seller Whirlpool and construction-equipment giant Caterpillar, there are moves to better align stocks with sales.