Caterpillar Trumps Estimates, Ups 2018 Profit Outlook

** ADVANCE FOR USE SUNDAY OCT. 18, AND THEREAFTER ** FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2006 file photo, workers use Caterpillar machinery to excavate a trench for a new water line in Sandy, Utah. Caterpillar Inc., releases third-quarter financial results Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac, file)

Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N) on Tuesday upgraded the outlook for 2018 profits after the world’s largest heavy-duty equipment maker beat estimates for first-quarter earnings on strong global demand for its equipment.

The Deerfield-‎Illinois based company now expects the full-year profit to range between $9.75 to $10.75 per share compared with $7.75 to $8.75 per share it projected earlier, Reuters reports.

For the first quarter, the company reported a net profit of $2.74 per share, above analysts’ consensus forecast of $2.04 per share.