The free dividend tracker to help you grow your wealth. Link your brokerage accounts and MerryDiv automatically syncs your holdings and dividends.
Data last updated: Aug 27, 2026
Snapshot (as of Aug 27, 2026): Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) pays a $6.16 annual dividend ($1.63 quarterly), yielding 0.75% at $819.85/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-07-20. 12 consecutive years of dividend growth. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 0.75%
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 investors are looking at a company that builds and sells heavy construction equipment, mining machinery, and diesel and gas power systems across the world. CAT currently pays $6.16 per share annually, with dividends paid quarterly and the next ex-dividend date set for July 20, 2026. The current yield sits at 0.74%. With a beta of 1.605, CAT stock carries meaningful price volatility, making it a better fit for growth-and-income investors than those seeking a steady, low-risk income stream.
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, and CAT's diversified revenue across construction, mining, and energy and transportation equipment spans multiple end markets. Caterpillar Inc. dividend safety faces its main test from cyclicality: demand for heavy machinery and mining equipment can fall sharply in economic downturns, which would pressure the earnings base that supports the payout.
Over the past 15 years, 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 not included in the CAGR calculation). The smallest annual increase in the window was 0.6% in 2017, showing that growth, while present, has not always been fast.
| 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 global industrial business and are willing to accept a low current yield in exchange for that growth. At 0.74%, the yield is low (below 2%), and it sits above the 5-year average of 0.61%, meaning the stock is currently offering slightly more income than its recent norm. The 26.0% payout ratio means the dividend is not stretched. What an investor gets here is a long runway for continued increases; what they give up is meaningful current 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 |
Project income from CAT with the CAT dividend calculator or track your full portfolio with the dividend tracker.