Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Receives $355.50 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $355.50.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CAT. Raymond James started coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $435.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $399.00 to $456.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock traded down $1.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $385.97. 1,606,883 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,622,578. Caterpillar has a 12-month low of $223.76 and a 12-month high of $403.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $368.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $350.95. The company has a market cap of $188.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.43, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.58% and a return on equity of 59.88%. The firm had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.55 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 21.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total transaction of $1,018,878.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $338.59 per share, with a total value of $33,859.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,842 shares in the company, valued at approximately $962,272.78. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.48, for a total transaction of $1,018,878.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at $5,347,825.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 3,862,443 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,286,582,000 after purchasing an additional 75,973 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,069,840 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,022,488,000 after buying an additional 165,358 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 39,534.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,136,667 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,356,930,000 after acquiring an additional 2,131,276 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Caterpillar by 10.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,108,817 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $702,431,000 after acquiring an additional 198,123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Caterpillar by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,020,100 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $740,225,000 after purchasing an additional 119,326 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.