Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Receives $374.69 Average PT from Analysts

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $374.69.

CAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $376.00 to $434.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Caterpillar from $500.00 to $515.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on Caterpillar from $285.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $435.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of CAT stock traded down $0.27 on Friday, reaching $380.51. 2,035,063 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,553,393. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $183.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $392.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $360.46. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $270.55 and a 1-year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The business had revenue of $16.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.52 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar will post 21.68 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,977.21. This represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total value of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,714,323.35. This trade represents a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 23,868 shares of company stock worth $9,679,489. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CAT. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC now owns 1,037 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. First Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $277,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Bank grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the third quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $919,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 1,807 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $707,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors grew its stake in Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors now owns 3,466 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Company Profile

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.