Caterpillar (CAT) reported $16.22 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2024, representing a year-over-year decline of 5%. EPS of $5.14 for the same period compares to $5.23 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of -2.57% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $16.64 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $4.97, the EPS surprise was +3.42%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Caterpillar performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Sales Volume - Machinery, Energy & Transportation - Construction Industries: -$227 million versus -$517.21 million estimated by two analysts on average.
• Sales Volume - Machinery, Energy & Transportation - Resource Industries: -$316 million versus -$256.24 million estimated by two analysts on average.
• Sales Volume - Machinery, Energy & Transportation - Energy & Transportation: -$301 million compared to the $62.76 million average estimate based on two analysts.
• Price Realization - Total: -$54 million compared to the $97.59 million average estimate based on two analysts.
• Sales and Revenues- Asia/Pacific- Machinery, Energy & Transportation: $2.87 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $2.80 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -3.6%.
• Sales and Revenues- Asia/Pacific- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- All Other Segments: $11 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $13.38 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -8.3%.
• Sales and Revenues- Latin America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation: $1.67 billion compared to the $1.78 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +144.2% year over year.
• Sales and Revenues- North America- Machinery, Energy & Transportation: $7.63 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $8.04 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -7.5%.
• Total sales and revenues- Financial Products- Total: $883 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $907.58 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -10%.
• Total sales and revenues- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- All Other: $116 million versus $120.80 million estimated by six analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a 0% change.
• Total sales and revenues- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Construction Industries: $6 billion compared to the $5.92 billion average estimate based on six analysts. The reported number represents a change of -7.9% year over year.
• Total sales and revenues- Machinery, Energy & Transportation- Resource Industries: $2.96 billion compared to the $3.07 billion average estimate based on six analysts. The reported number represents a change of -8.6% year over year.

View all Key Company Metrics for Caterpillar here>>>

Shares of Caterpillar have returned +8.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.2% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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