Caterpillar Inc., the iconic American machinery maker, is finally emerging from a four-year slump, thanks in part to China.

The company said it’s raising expectations for sales and revenues for 2017, based on an improving outlook in China and mending demand in energy and transportation. Caterpillar Tuesday increased revenue forecasts to a range of $38 billion to $41 billion.

An improving outlook adds to signs that Caterpillar’s long-awaited turnaround may be at hand after it cut costs to ride out a slump in demand from miners and energy explorers. China’s economy has accelerated for two straight quarters, brightening sales prospects for the company’s signature yellow machines. The outlook offers investors good news at a time when a U.S. inquiry into taxes weighs on shares.

“Most people have seen enough evidence that the environment is turning from brutal to positive again,” Matt Arnold, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co., said in a telephone interview. “Between Caterpillar’s machinery numbers and other indicators and metrics, the industrial economy globally looks like it’s getting better, and Cat is going to harness that.”

Shares rose to $101.90 at 7:41 a.m. in New York before the start of regular trading, from Monday’s close of $96.81.

The results come days after Nucor Corp., the biggest steelmaker in the U.S., said that it is seeing renewed demand growth in China.

Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. added Caterpillar to its “conviction” list of highly recommended stocks. The bank cited machinery markets in the early stages of recovery and a change in the company’s strategy toward improving returns on capital rather than boosting market share.

Gross domestic product in China increased 6.9 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, compared with a 6.8 percent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. It was the first back-to-back acceleration in seven years.

"There are encouraging signs, with promising quoting activity in many of the markets we serve and retail sales to users turning positive for both machines and energy & transportation for the first time in several years," Chief Executive Officer Jim Umpleby said in the statement.