Caterpillar Celebrates 85 Years on the New York Stock Exchange

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Caterpillar Inc. Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman rang the opening bell today on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to mark the 85^th anniversary of the company's listing on the NYSE, considered the world's foremost securities marketplace. Of the approximately 3,200 companies listed on the NYSE, Caterpillar CAT is among only 2 percent that have been listed for 85 years or more.

"Not only are we celebrating 85 years on the NYSE this year, but next year we will also celebrate the 90^th anniversary of Caterpillar as a company," Oberhelman said. "Both milestones are a testament to the strength of our global brand, our dedication to customers and strong reputation with stockholders for financial strength and performance through the years. In 2014, the strength of our balance sheet and strong cash flow positioned Caterpillar to repurchase $4.2 billion in stock and to pay $1.6 billion in dividends. Caterpillar has paid a cash dividend every year since the company was formed in 1925 and has paid a quarterly dividend since 1933. We are proud of delivering that consistency and value over the decades."

Caterpillar is also giving Wall Street traders and New York City the opportunity for an up-close look at Cat® machines used in a variety of industries. On display in front of the NYSE are a mixer truck, wheel loader, skid steer loader and backhoe loader.

Listing on the NYSE is a globally recognized signal of corporate strength and leadership, reserved for companies that meet the NYSE's stringent requirements for income, market capitalization, cash flow and ethical practice.

Caterpillar Inc. - 85 Years on the New York Stock Exchange

• The company listed on December 2, 1929, under the name Caterpillar Tractor Company. In 1986, the name was changed to Caterpillar Inc.
• In May 1991, Caterpillar became one of 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
• Caterpillar sales for 1929 were $52 million and profit was $12 million.
• An investor buying one share of Caterpillar Tractor Company at $56.25 in 1929 would have an investment worth about $40,000* today, accounting for share price growth, stock splits and dividends over the past 85 years. (*As calculated at close December 2, 2014)
• Caterpillar's total shareholder return has sustained an annual compounded growth rate of 8 percent since the company listed in 1929.
• On December 2, 1929, the first listing day, 1,882,240 shares were outstanding and 400 shares of Caterpillar stock were traded. On December 2, 2014, there were more than 605,000,000 shares outstanding and about 4 million shares traded.

About Caterpillar:

For nearly 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 2013 sales and revenues of $55.656 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 product segments - Resource Industries, Construction 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.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release relate to future events and expectations and are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "believe," "estimate," "will be," "will," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "project," "intend," "could," "should" or other similar words or expressions often identify forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding our outlook, projections, forecasts or trend descriptions. These statements do not guarantee future performance, and we do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.

Caterpillar's actual results may differ materially from those described or implied in our forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to: (i) global economic conditions and economic conditions in the industries we serve; (ii) government monetary or fiscal policies and infrastructure spending; (iii) commodity price changes, component price increases, fluctuations in demand for our products or significant shortages of component products; (iv) disruptions or volatility in global financial markets limiting our sources of liquidity or the liquidity of our customers, dealers and suppliers; (v) political and economic risks, commercial instability and events beyond our control in the countries in which we operate; (vi) failure to maintain our credit ratings and potential resulting increases to our cost of borrowing and adverse effects on our cost of funds, liquidity, competitive position and access to capital markets; (vii) our Financial Products segment's risks associated with the financial services industry; (viii) changes in interest rates or market liquidity conditions; (ix) an increase in delinquencies, repossessions or net losses of Cat Financial's customers; (x) new regulations or changes in financial services regulations; (xi) a failure to realize, or a delay in realizing, all of the anticipated benefits of our acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; (xii) international trade policies and their impact on demand for our products and our competitive position; (xiii) our ability to develop, produce and market quality products that meet our customers' needs; (xiv) the impact of the highly competitive environment in which we operate on our sales and pricing; (xv) failure to realize all of the anticipated benefits from initiatives to increase our productivity, efficiency and cash flow and to reduce costs; (xvi) additional restructuring costs or a failure to realize anticipated savings or benefits from past or future cost reduction actions; (xvii) inventory management decisions and sourcing practices of our dealers and our OEM customers; (xviii) compliance with environmental laws and regulation; (xix) alleged or actual violations of trade or anti-corruption laws and regulations; (xx) additional tax expense or exposure; (xxi) currency fluctuations; (xxii) our or Cat Financial's compliance with financial covenants; (xxiii) increased pension plan funding obligations; (xxiv) union disputes or other employee relations issues; (xxv) significant legal proceedings, claims, lawsuits or investigations; (xxvi) compliance requirements imposed if additional carbon emissions legislation and/or regulations are adopted; (xxvii) changes in accounting standards; (xxviii) failure or breach of IT security; (xxix) adverse effects of unexpected events including natural disasters; and (xxx) other factors described in more detail under "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in our Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 18, 2014, for the year ended December 31, 2013, and in our Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 1, 2014, for the quarter ended June 30, 2014.

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SOURCE Caterpillar Inc.