(By Balaseshan) Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT), the world's biggest maker of heavy equipment, reported a 67% jump in quarterly earnings on higher sales volume and improved price realization. Results exceeded Street's expectations, sending its shares up 4.40% in premarket.
Earnings for the second quarter were $1.70 billion or $2.54 per share, up from $1.02 billion or $1.52 per share last year.
Revenue jumped 22% to $17.37 billion. Excluding the effect of acquisitions, sales and revenue increased 12%.
Analysts, on average, polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a profit of $2.28 per share on revenue of $17.11 billion for the second quarter.
The acquisition of Bucyrus International Inc. added $1.176 billion in sales, and the Motoren-Werke Mannheim Holding GmbH (MWM) acquisition added $196 million in sales. Price realization improved $499 million.
Excluding acquisitions, sales increased in all geographic regions with the most significant improvement in North America. Outside of North America, the most significant improvement was in Asia/Pacific.
Construction Industries' sales increased 8% to $5.340 billion, on higher volume across all major equipment product categories. Resource Industries' sales climbed 68% to $5.390 billion, due to the acquisition of Bucyrus in the third quarter of 2011 and higher sales volume in all regions of the world.
Power Systems' sales grew 12% to $5.511 billion, on higher sales volume, the acquisition of MWM and improved price realization. Financial Products' revenues remained flat with last year at $764 million.
Looking ahead into the fiscal 2012, the company raised its earnings guidance to about $9.60 per share from previous forecast of about $9.50, while Street analysts predict $9.54 per share. Caterpillar narrowed its revenue outlook to range of $68 billion to $70 billion from previous estimate of $68 billion to $72 billion, while Street predicts $69.52 billion.
CAT ended Tuesday's regular session down 0.18% at $81.43. The stock has been trading between $67.54 and $116.95for the past 52 weeks.