Caterpillar misses profit estimates as costs weigh

(Reuters) - Caterpillar Inc on Tuesday reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit as increasing manufacturing costs related to materials and freight pressured the heavy machinery maker's margins.

Adjusted profit for the quarter ended December rose to $3.86 share from $2.69 a year earlier.

Analysts on average had expected a profit of $4.02 per share, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)