Caterpillar Inc (CAT)

[DewDiligence]

CAT hikes dividend—increases buyback authorization:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/caterpillar-inc-increases-dividend-increases-143000701.html

The new annualized dividend is $5.64 (up 8% from $5.20). At the current share price (~$330), the new payout equates to a dividend yield of 1.7%. CAT has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years.

The new $20B buyback authorization, added to the $1.8B remaining from the $15B 2022 authorization (#msg-168886038), gives a total buyback authorization of $21.8B. If CAT implements the full buyback authorization and (for the sake of discussion) buys shares at an average equal to the current market price, the share count will be reduced by about 14%. However, there is no time limit on the buyback authorization.