Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) is a global industrial company that designs, manufactures and markets heavy machinery and engines used in construction, mining, agriculture, energy and transportation. Founded in 1925 through the merger of the Holt Manufacturing Company and the C. L. Best Tractor Company, Caterpillar has grown into a prominent force in the heavy equipment industry, known for its durable products and extensive distribution network. The company’s core mission is to enable sustainable progress and productivity for customers around the world.

Caterpillar’s product portfolio encompasses a wide range of machines and engines, including hydraulic excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and electric power generation systems. In addition to manufacturing equipment, Caterpillar provides aftermarket parts, maintenance services and digital solutions such as fleet management software and remote monitoring platforms designed to enhance operational efficiency and reduce downtime.

The company operates through multiple segments covering construction industries, resource industries, energy and transportation and financial products. With manufacturing facilities across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, Caterpillar serves customers in over 190 countries. Its global dealer network—comprising more than 1,500 independent outlets—offers sales, rental and support services that help maintain equipment performance and prolong asset life cycles.

Leadership at Caterpillar is headed by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Umpleby, who has guided the company’s strategic initiatives since 2017. Under his direction, Caterpillar has emphasized innovation in automation, electrification and digital technologies, while reinforcing commitments to sustainability and safety. The company’s board of directors and executive team work together to drive operational excellence, manage risk and ensure long-term value creation for stakeholders worldwide.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $403.32 to $413.07
• 50-Day Range: $324.56 to $412.89
• 52-Week Range: $267.30 to $418.50
• Volume: 3.24 million shs
• Average Volume: 2.52 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $194.49 billion
• P/E Ratio: 20.12
• Dividend Yield: 1.37%
• Price Target: $406.47
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Caterpillar Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Caterpillar scored higher than 94% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 15th out of 183 stocks in the industrials sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.4 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Caterpillar has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.78, and is based on 10 buy ratings, 6 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Caterpillar has been the subject of 13 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 11.33%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Caterpillar are expected to grow by 11.33% in the coming year, from $19.86 to $22.11 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Caterpillar is 20.12, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 26.66.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Caterpillar is 20.12, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Industrials sector average P/E ratio of about 25.21.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Caterpillar has a PEG Ratio of 2.68. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Caterpillar has a P/B Ratio of 10.12. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.34% of the float of Caterpillar has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Caterpillar has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.2, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Caterpillar has recently increased by 2.94%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Caterpillar pays a meaningful dividend of 1.39%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Caterpillar has been increasing its dividend for 30 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Caterpillar is 27.49%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Caterpillar will have a dividend payout ratio of 25.51% next year. This indicates that Caterpillar will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Environmental Score: -3.18

Percentage of Shares Shorted

1.34% of the float of Caterpillar has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Caterpillar has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.2, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Caterpillar has recently increased by 2.94%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.8 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.01

News Sentiment

Caterpillar has a news sentiment score of 1.01. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.70 average news sentiment score of Industrials companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 66 news articles for Caterpillar this week, compared to 41 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

Only 96 people have searched for CAT on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -3% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

Only 18 people have added Caterpillar to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -31% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Insider Trading: Acquiring Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Caterpillar insiders have bought more of their company's stock than they have sold. Specifically, they have bought $120,262.00 in company stock and sold $0.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 0.33% of the stock of Caterpillar is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

70.98% of the stock of Caterpillar is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

CAT Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have CAT shares performed this year?

Caterpillar's stock was trading at $362.76 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, CAT stock has increased by 13.8% and is now trading at $412.8920.

How were Caterpillar's earnings last quarter?

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) issued 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. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

Is Caterpillar doing a stock buyback?

Caterpillar's board authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, June 12th 2024, which permits the company to buy back $20,000,000,000 in outstanding shares, according to EventVestor. This means that the company could reacquire up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Does Caterpillar have any subsidiaries?

Caterpillar subsidiaries include these companies: Tangent Energy Solutions, CarbonPoint Solutions, The Weir Group PLC, CAT Robotics, Downer Freight Rail, ECM S.p.A., Yard Club, and others.

Who are Caterpillar's major shareholders?

Caterpillar's top institutional investors include Assenagon Asset Management S.A. (0.18%), Fifth Third Bancorp (0.11%), Swedbank AB (0.07%) and Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd (0.07%). Insiders that own company stock include Lange Bob De, Andrew R J Bonfield, Anthony D Fassino, Cheryl H Johnson, Suzette M Long, Denise C Johnson, David Maclennan, Jason Kaiser, Daniel M Dickinson, Gerald Johnson and Joseph E Creed.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Caterpillar?

Shares of CAT stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Caterpillar own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Caterpillar investors own include BlackRock (BLK), Chevron (CVX), Broadcom (AVGO), UnitedHealth Group (UNH), The Goldman Sachs Group (GS), ServiceNow (NOW) and NVIDIA (NVDA).

Company Calendar

• Record date for 5/20 Dividend: 4/21/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 5/20 Dividend: 4/21/2025
• Last Earnings: 4/30/2025
• Dividend Payable: 5/20/2025
• Today: 7/16/2025
• Record date for 8/20 Dividend: 7/21/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 8/20 Dividend: 7/21/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 8/05/2025
• Dividend Payable: 8/20/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Industrials
• Industry: MACH - CONST/MNG
• Sub-Industry: Construction & Farm Machinery & Heavy Trucks
• Current Symbol: NYSE:CAT
• CIK: 18230
• Web: www.caterpillar.com
• Phone: (972) 891-7700
• Fax: 309-675-6620
• Employees: 112,900
• Year Founded: 1925

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Caterpillar: $406.47
• High Price Target: $500.00
• Low Price Target: $283.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: -1.3%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.78
• Research Coverage: 18 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $20.52
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 20.07
• Forward P/E Ratio: 20.73
• P/E Growth: 2.69
• Net Income: $10.79 billion
• Net Margins: 15.71%
• Pretax Margin: 19.62%
• Return on Equity: 53.77%
• Return on Assets: 11.64%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 1.43
• Current Ratio: 1.32
• Quick Ratio: 0.77

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $64.81 billion
• Price / Sales: 2.99
• Cash Flow: $27.32 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 15.07
• Book Value: $40.79 per share
• Price / Book: 10.09

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 471,040,000
• Free Float: 469,488,000
• Market Cap: $193.93 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.38