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Corporate Press Releases

Caterpillar Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2018 Results

January 28, 2019

Caterpillar Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2018 Results; Provides Outlook for 2019
Record Full-Year Profit Per Share; 2019 Profit Per Share Expected to Increase

  • Fourth-quarter sales and revenues up 11 percent; full-year sales and revenues up 20 percent
  • Strong financial position; ended 2018 with $7.9 billion of enterprise cash
  • Repurchased $1.8 billion in company stock in the fourth quarter and $3.8 billion for the full year
  • 2019 profit per share expected to increase; outlook range of $11.75 to $12.75

DEERFIELD, Ill. - Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) today announced fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2018.

Sales and revenues in the fourth quarter of 2018 were $14.3 billion, compared with $12.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, an 11 percent increase. Fourth-quarter 2018 profit was $1.78 per share, compared with a loss of $2.18 per share in the fourth quarter of 2017. Adjusted profit per share in the fourth quarter of 2018 was $2.55, compared with fourth-quarter 2017 adjusted profit per share of $2.16, up 18 percent.

Full-year sales and revenues in 2018 were $54.7 billion, up 20 percent from $45.5 billion in 2017. Full-year profit was $10.26 per share in 2018, compared with profit of $1.26 per share in 2017. Adjusted profit per share in 2018 was $11.22, up 63 percent compared with 2017 adjusted profit per share of $6.88.

Adjusted profit per share excludes several adjustments consisting of restructuring costs, mark-to-market losses for remeasurement of pension and other postemployment benefit (OPEB) plans, certain deferred tax valuation allowance adjustments, the impact of U.S. tax reform and a gain on sale of an equity investment in 2017.

Fourth-quarter 2018 Machinery, Energy & Transportation (ME&T) operating cash flow was $2.5 billion. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the company repurchased $1.8 billion of Caterpillar common stock and paid dividends of $507 million.

For the full year of 2018, ME&T operating cash flow was $6.3 billion. During the year the company deployed significant capital, including the repurchase of $3.8 billion of Caterpillar common stock, dividend payments of $2.0 billion and a discretionary pension contribution of $1.0 billion. After returning $5.8 billion of capital to shareholders, the enterprise cash balance was $7.9 billion at the end of 2018, compared with $8.3 billion at the end of 2017.

“In 2018, Caterpillar achieved record profit per share and returned significant levels of capital to shareholders,” said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby. “Our global team remained focused on serving our customers, executing our strategy and investing for future profitable growth.”

2019 Outlook

Following a record year for profit per share, Caterpillar expects 2019 profit to increase to a range of $11.75 to $12.75 per share.

“Our outlook assumes a modest sales increase based on the fundamentals of our diverse end markets as well as the macroeconomic and geopolitical environment. We will continue to focus on operational excellence, including cost discipline, while investing in expanded offerings and services to drive long-term profitable growth,” added Umpleby.

Beginning in 2019, the company does not plan to exclude restructuring costs from adjusted profit per share as these costs are expected to return to normalized levels. The outlook does not include a mark-to-market gain or loss for remeasurement of pension and OPEB plans or any changes to estimates related to U.S. tax reform due to interpretations released in 2019.

Notes:

  • Glossary of terms is included on pages 14-16.
  • Information on non-GAAP financial measures is included on page 17.
  • Caterpillar will conduct a teleconference and live webcast, with a slide presentation, beginning at 10 a.m. Central Time on Monday, January 28, 2019, to discuss its 2018 fourth-quarter and full-year financial results. The accompanying slides will be available before the webcast on the Caterpillar website at http://www.caterpillar.com/investors/events-and-presentations.

 

About Caterpillar:
For more than 90 years, Caterpillar Inc. has been making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. Customers turn to Caterpillar to help them develop infrastructure, energy and natural resource assets. With 2018 sales and revenues of $54.722 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company principally operates through its three primary segments - Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation - and also provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment. For more information, visit caterpillar.com. To connect with us on social media, visit caterpillar.com/social-media.

 

Click here to download the full version of the Caterpillar Inc. 4Q and full-year 2018 results release.

Click here to download the Caterpillar Inc. 4Q and full-year 2018 quarterly highlights.

 

Caterpillar media contact: Corrie Scott, 224-551-4133 (Office) or Scott_Corrie@cat.com