Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Receives $377.83 Average PT from Analysts

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $375.33.

CAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the company from $272.00 to $357.00 in a report on Friday. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $396.00 target price (up previously from $389.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, May 1st. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Monday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Channel Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $533,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,586,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.3%

CAT stock traded down $1.13 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $352.45. 2,277,403 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,639,934. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The company has a market cap of $166.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The stock's fifty day moving average is $317.70 and its 200-day moving average is $353.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.60 earnings per share. Caterpillar's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.