Shares of Caterpillar Inc. CAT, +1.19% rose 1.2% in morning trading Wednesday, to pace the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s DJIA, -0.81% gainers, after the maker of construction and mining equipment raised its quarterly dividend by 8.1%. The company said the new dividend of $1.20 a share, up from $1.11 a share, will be payable on Aug. 19 to shareholders of record on July 20. Based on current stock prices, the new annual dividend rate implies a dividend yield of 2.09%, which compares with the yield for the SPDR Industrial Select Sector ETF XLI, -1.81% of 1.42% and the implied yield for the S&P 500 SPX, -1.08% of 1.55%. “Our dividend increase reflects our strong balance sheet and liquidity position as well as confidence in continued strong free cash flow generation from Machinery, Energy & Transportation (ME&T),” said Caterpillar Chief Executive Jim Umpleby. The stock has run up 11.2% year to date, while the Dow has lost 9.0%.
