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Data last updated: Oct 11, 2026
Snapshot (as of Oct 11, 2026): Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) pays a $6.16 annual dividend ($1.63 quarterly), yielding 0.81% at $800.47/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-07-20. 12 consecutive years of dividend growth. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 0.81%
Annual Dividend: $6.16 per share
Payout Ratio: 26.0%
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-07-20
Dividend Frequency: quarterly
Sector: Industrials
Years of Dividend History: 53
Caterpillar Inc. dividend income comes from one of the world's largest makers of construction and mining equipment, including excavators, mining trucks, and diesel-electric locomotives. CAT currently yields 0.81%, with trailing twelve-month payments of $6.16 per share paid quarterly. The next ex-dividend date is July 20, 2026. With a beta of 1.58, CAT stock carries above-average price volatility, making it a better fit for growth-and-income investors than those seeking a steady, high-yield payout.
Caterpillar Inc. pays out 26.0% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as conservative (below 40%). That low payout leaves substantial room to sustain and grow the dividend even if earnings soften, given CAT's broad exposure to construction, mining, and energy infrastructure equipment demand. Caterpillar Inc. dividend safety faces its clearest pressure from the cyclical nature of heavy machinery markets, where equipment orders can fall sharply during economic downturns, as reflected in the stock's beta of 1.58.
Caterpillar Inc. dividend history shows a CAGR of 8.5% per year from 2010 to 2025. The per-share annual dividend grew from $1.72 to $5.84 over that period (2026 data is partial and excluded from the growth calculation). The smallest annual increase in the window was 0.6% in 2017, a reminder that growth is not always linear even when the streak stays intact.
| Period | CAGR | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | +8.1% | $4.62 (2022) | $5.84 (2025) |
| 5-Year | +7.2% | $4.12 (2020) | $5.84 (2025) |
| 10-Year | +7.1% | $2.94 (2015) | $5.84 (2025) |
CAT fits growth-and-income investors who want a rising dividend from a company with deep exposure to global construction, mining, and energy infrastructure, and who are willing to accept a low current yield in exchange for that growth. At 0.81%, the yield is low (below 2%) and sits well below CAT's own 5-year average of 1.42%, meaning buyers today are paying a premium relative to recent history. The 26.0% payout ratio shows the dividend is not stretched. The trade-off is straightforward: 12 consecutive years of increases and an 8.5% annual growth rate, but a yield that delivers little immediate income.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-20 | $1.6300 |
| 2026-04-20 | $1.5100 |
| 2026-01-20 | $1.5100 |
| 2025-10-20 | $1.5100 |
| 2025-07-21 | $1.5100 |
| 2025-04-21 | $1.4100 |
| 2025-01-21 | $1.4100 |
| 2024-10-21 | $1.4100 |
| 2024-07-22 | $1.4100 |
| 2024-04-19 | $1.3000 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $4.6500 |
| 2025 | $5.8400 |
| 2024 | $5.4200 |
| 2023 | $5.0000 |
| 2022 | $4.6200 |
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