Making America Great Again is Hurting Caterpillar Shares of CAT have had a solid run over the last 12 months, gaining 26.3% compared to a 4.5% industry average. Caterpillar also posted a strong Q1 earnings report, but the common concern across both periods is the sizable hit to margins caused by material cost inflation. Shares of Caterpillar Inc. CAT were sideways through morning trading Monday after the company released its Q2 earnings report.