Investing.com -- Caterpillar Inc. reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations, but revenue fell short of estimates, sending shares down 3.64% in early trading.
The construction and mining equipment manufacturer posted adjusted earnings per share of $5.14, topping the consensus estimate of $5.06. However, revenue came in at $16.22 billion, below the $16.64 billion analysts were expecting.
Sales declined 5% year-over-year to $16.2 billion, primarily due to lower sales volume. The company said dealer inventory decreased by $1.3 billion during the quarter, compared to a $900 million decrease in the same period last year.
"I'm proud of our global team's strong performance in 2024 as they delivered record adjusted profit per share and strong ME&T free cash flow," said Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby.
For the full year 2024, Caterpillar reported sales and revenues of $64.8 billion, down 3% compared to $67.1 billion in 2023. The decrease reflected lower sales volume of $3.5 billion, partially offset by favorable price realization of $1.2 billion.
The company's Construction Industries segment saw sales fall 8% YoY to $6 billion in Q4, while Resource Industries sales declined 9% to $2.96 billion. Energy & Transportation sales were relatively flat at $7.65 billion.
Caterpillar ended the year with $6.9 billion in enterprise cash. The company deployed $7.7 billion for share repurchases and $2.6 billion for dividends in 2024.