FY2025 EPS Estimates for Caterpillar Reduced by DA Davidson

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) - Research analysts at DA Davidson decreased their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a research note issued on Monday, May 5th. DA Davidson analyst M. Shlisky now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $18.66 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $20.10. DA Davidson currently has a "Neutral" rating and a $331.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar's current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. The business had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.60 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Oppenheimer upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $309.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $370.67.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT traded up $1.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $325.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,646,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,621,808. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $316.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $355.39. Caterpillar has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $418.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.75, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.49%.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

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.