Having completed one share repurchase agreement last month for $1 billion, heavy-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar (CAT 1.58%) announced today that it's launching a second round of buybacks, purchasing the stock from Societe Generale, one of the largest European financial-services groups.
The international financier will immediately deliver approximately 11 million shares based on current market prices, with the final number of shares bought back based on Caterpillar's volume-weighted average stock price during the period the agreement remains in effect, which is expected to be completed by September.
Noting the repurchase of $2 billion worth of stock this year and having raised the company's dividend by 15% last month, Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman said, "The continued strength of our balance sheet and strong cash flow puts us in a good position to reaffirm our commitment to stockholders, even in the midst of a downturn."
In February 2007, the board of directors authorized the repurchase of $7.5 billion of company stock, and in December 2011, it extended the authorization through December 2015. Through the end of the second quarter of 2013, $4.8 billion of the $7.5 billion authorization was spent.
