Caterpillar Inc. chairman and CEO Jim Umpleby today rang the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to mark the 90th anniversary of the company's listing on the NYSE, considered the world's foremost securities marketplace. Of the approximately 2,200 companies listed on the NYSE, Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) is among only 3 percent that have been consecutively listed for 90 years or more.
"I am proud of our entire Caterpillar team. Every day, they create solutions to help our customers build a better world," Umpleby said. "Our team's relentless focus on executing our strategy for profitable growth, including the advanced technologies that we are showcasing at the NYSE today, has given the company a strong balance sheet and the ability to return a significant part of our free cash flow to shareholders. Since 2017, we have repurchased about $7.1 billion in stock and paid about $3.5 billion in dividends."
As part of the celebration, Caterpillar is giving Wall Street traders the opportunity to handle an Advanced Construction Excavator Simulator System. Through a panel of video monitors and remote-control technology, traders will have the chance to take a turn at the excavator's controls and attempt to dig virtual trenches, footings and more. There will also be a variety of Cat machines on display in front of the NYSE including a wheel loader, wheeled excavator, industrial loader and compact loader, all of which have played a part in Caterpillar's historical success.
Listing on the NYSE is a globally recognized signal of corporate strength and leadership, reserved for companies that meet the NYSE's stringent requirements for income, market capitalization, cash flow and ethical practice.
Here’s a bit of Caterpillar’s history on the New York Stock Exchange
- An investor buying one share of Caterpillar Tractor Company at $56.25 in 1929 would have an investment worth about $70,000* today, accounting for share price growth, stock splits and dividends over the past 90 years. (*As calculated at close on December 2, 2019)
- Caterpillar's total shareholder return has sustained an annual compounded growth rate of 8 percent since the company listed in 1929.
- On December 2, 1929, the first listing day, 1,882,240 shares were outstanding, and 400 shares of Caterpillar stock were traded. On December 2, 2019, there were more than 550 million shares outstanding, and about 3 million shares traded.
- Caterpillar was founded in 1925 and had its initial public offering in 1925 listed on the Pacific Stock Exchange (now NYSE Arca Inc.). Caterpillar’s primary exchange listing on the NYSE began on December 2, 1929.
