NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report ) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $323.35.
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Several brokerages have recently commented on CAT. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. HSBC lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Caterpillar
Caterpillar Stock Up 0.4 % CAT stock traded up $1.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $336.75. 1,977,087 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,750,444. The stock has a market capitalization of $164.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $351.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $303.33. Caterpillar has a 12-month low of $205.60 and a 12-month high of $382.01.
Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar will post 21.79 EPS for the current year.
Caterpillar Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.48%.
Insider Activity In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 23,474 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CAT. SPC Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at $238,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 260.7% in the 1st quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $403,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.2% during the first quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,002 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,466,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at $1,110,000. Finally, Buck Wealth Strategies LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 1,298.0% in the 1st quarter. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 29,107 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $10,666,000 after purchasing an additional 27,025 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Caterpillar Company Profile (
Get Free Report 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.
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