Caterpillar Inc. announced fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2018. Sales and revenues in the fourth quarter of 2018 were $14.3 billion, compared with $12.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, an 11 percent increase. Fourth-quarter 2018 profit was $1.78 per share, compared with a loss of $2.18 per share in the fourth quarter of 2017. Adjusted profit per share in the fourth quarter of 2018 was $2.55, compared with fourth-quarter 2017 adjusted profit per share of $2.16, up 18 percent.
Full-year sales and revenues in 2018 were $54.7 billion, up 20 percent from $45.5 billion in 2017. Full-year profit was $10.26 per share in 2018, compared with profit of $1.26 per share in 2017. Adjusted profit per share in 2018 was $11.22, up 63 percent compared with 2017 adjusted profit per share of $6.88.
Fourth-quarter 2018 Machinery, Energy & Transportation (ME&T) operating cash flow was $2.5 billion. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the company repurchased $1.8 billion of Caterpillar common stock and paid dividends of $507 million.
For full-year 2018, ME&T operating cash flow was $6.3 billion. During the year, the company deployed significant capital, including the repurchase of $3.8 billion of Caterpillar common stock, dividend payments of $2.0 billion and a discretionary pension contribution of $1.0 billion. After returning $5.8 billion of capital to shareholders, the enterprise cash balance was $7.9 billion at the end of 2018, compared with $8.3 billion at the end of 2017.
“In 2018, Caterpillar achieved record profit per share and returned significant levels of capital to shareholders,” said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby. “Our global team remained focused on serving our customers, executing our strategy and investing for future profitable growth.”