The board of directors of Caterpillar Inc. last week declared a quarterly cash dividend of forty-$0.42 cents per share of common stock, payable Feb. 20, 2009, to stockholders of record at the close of business Jan. 20, 2009.
"I am pleased Caterpillar continues to reward stockholders with dividend returns particularly in light of the very difficult global economic circumstances facing many of our customers and uncertainty in the credit and financial markets," said Caterpillar chairman and CEO Jim Owens.
The $0.42 dividend maintains the dividend rate from the previous quarter and is 17-percent higher than the dividend paid one year ago. Including the announcement today, Caterpillar's cash dividend has nearly tripled since 1998.
Headquartered in Peoria, Ill., Caterpillar is a leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. The company also is a leading services provider through Caterpillar Financial Services, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services, Caterpillar Logistics Services and Progress Rail Services.
