Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $361.64.

Several brokerages have issued reports on CAT. Raymond James upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT traded up $3.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $293.82. 2,716,340 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,637,934. Caterpillar has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $418.50. The firm has a market cap of $140.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $327.08 and a 200-day moving average of $363.98.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CAT. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Caterpillar by 0.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $285,382,000 after acquiring an additional 5,371 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 47.2% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 156 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth about $854,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 13,317 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $5,208,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 26.6% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,012 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,569,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

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.