Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Caterpillar Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. The company’s product portfolio spans a wide range of heavy machinery, from excavators, wheel loaders and bulldozers used in infrastructure and building projects to large mining trucks and drills designed for resource extraction. In addition to physical equipment, Caterpillar provides aftermarket parts, maintenance services and technology-driven solutions such as advanced fleet management and remote monitoring systems.

Founded in 1925 through the merger of the Holt Manufacturing Company and the C. L. Best Tractor Company, Caterpillar has its roots in the early development of the first practical track-type tractor. Over nearly a century of operations, the company has expanded its research and development capabilities, focusing on fuel efficiency, emissions controls and automation. Its manufacturing network includes plants in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America, allowing for localized production and rapid delivery to customers around the world.

Caterpillar organizes its business across several operating segments, including Construction Industries, Resource Industries, Energy & Transportation, and Financial Products. The company’s financial arm offers financing and insurance to help customers acquire and maintain equipment. Through a global dealer network that spans more than 190 countries, Caterpillar delivers integrated support, training programs and parts distribution to maximize equipment uptime and productivity.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Caterpillar is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Umpleby, who has guided the company’s strategic initiatives since 2017. Under his leadership, Caterpillar has prioritized digital solutions, sustainability and operational efficiency. The company continues to pursue innovations that address the challenges of construction, mining, power generation and transportation in both developed and emerging markets.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $534.70 to $544.99
• 50-Day Range: $407.41 to $534.40
• 52-Week Range: $267.30 to $544.99
• Volume: 3.46 million shs
• Average Volume: 2.80 million shs
• Market Capitalization: $253.58 billion
• P/E Ratio: 27.53
• Dividend Yield: 1.12%
• Price Target: $506.60
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Caterpillar Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Caterpillar scored higher than 90% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 38th out of 186 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 2.85, and is based on 13 buy ratings, 5 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Downside Risk

Caterpillar has a consensus price target of $506.60, representing about 6.4% downside from its current price of $541.28.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Caterpillar has been the subject of 14 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 27.53, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 233.22.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Caterpillar is 27.53, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Industrials sector average P/E ratio of about 296.51.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Caterpillar has a PEG Ratio of 3.23. 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 13.27. 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

1.57% 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 2.5, 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 5.48%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Caterpillar pays a meaningful dividend of 1.15%, 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 30.72%. 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 27.32% 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

1.57% 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 2.5, 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 5.48%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 4.0 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.16

News Sentiment

Caterpillar has a news sentiment score of 1.16. 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 0.64 average news sentiment score of Industrials companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 131 news articles for Caterpillar this week, compared to 44 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

1310 people have searched for CAT on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 568% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

40 people have added Caterpillar to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 14% compared to the previous 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Caterpillar insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $25,559,300.00 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 at the beginning of 2025. Since then, CAT shares have increased by 49.2% and is now trading at $541.28.

How were Caterpillar's earnings last quarter?

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August, 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88 by $0.16. The company's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year.
Read the conference call transcript.

Is Caterpillar doing a stock buyback?

Caterpillar's board initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, June 12th 2024, which allows the company to buy back $20,000,000,000 in shares, according to EventVestor. This means that the company could repurchase up to 12.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Does Caterpillar have any subsidiaries?

The following companies are subsidiaries of Caterpillar: 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?

Top institutional investors of Caterpillar include Voya Investment Management LLC (0.38%), Assenagon Asset Management S.A. (0.09%), Swedbank AB (0.07%) and Meyer Handelman Co. (0.03%). Insiders that own company stock include Donald J Umpleby III, Lange Bob De, Andrew R J Bonfield, Anthony D Fassino, Cheryl H Johnson, Suzette M Long, Jason Kaiser, Denise C Johnson, Susan C Schwab, David Maclennan, 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 8/20 Dividend: 7/21/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 8/20 Dividend: 7/21/2025
• Last Earnings: 8/05/2025
• Dividend Payable: 8/20/2025
• Today: 10/16/2025
• Record date for 11/20 Dividend: 10/20/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 11/20 Dividend: 10/20/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 10/29/2025
• Dividend Payable: 11/20/2025
• 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: $506.60
• High Price Target: $650.00
• Low Price Target: $283.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: -6.4%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.85
• Research Coverage: 20 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $19.66
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 27.53
• Forward P/E Ratio: 27.25
• P/E Growth: 3.23
• Net Income: $10.79 billion
• Net Margins: 14.95%
• Pretax Margin: 18.58%
• Return on Equity: 48.95%
• Return on Assets: 10.60%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 1.50
• Current Ratio: 1.34
• Quick Ratio: 0.81

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $64.81 billion
• Price / Sales: 3.91
• Cash Flow: $27.63 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 19.59
• Book Value: $40.79 per share
• Price / Book: 13.27

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 468,480,000
• Free Float: 466,933,000
• Market Cap: $253.58 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 1.46