Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) reported second-quarter 2024 adjusted earnings per share of a record $5.99, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.53 by a margin of 8.3%. The bottom-line figure marked an 8% year-over-year improvement.Favorable price realization and manufacturing costs and improved profit in the Energy & Transportation segment, mainly led to the improvement in CAT’s earnings. The company witnessed volume declines in its segments mainly attributed to changes in dealer inventories.Including one- ...