Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Receives $361.64 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $359.36.

CAT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded up $6.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $291.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,218,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,639,879. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $324.47 and a 200 day moving average of $362.29. Caterpillar has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The stock has a market cap of $139.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

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.