Caterpillar (CAT) Set to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) is scheduled to be posting its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, October 30th. Analysts expect Caterpillar to post earnings of $5.38 per share for the quarter. Investors that wish to listen to the company's conference call can do so using this link.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.91 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.55 EPS. On average, analysts expect Caterpillar to post $22 EPS for the current fiscal year and $23 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE CAT traded down $2.87 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $385.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,501,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,631,329. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $366.90 and its 200-day moving average is $350.61. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $223.76 and a 1-year high of $403.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $188.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.10.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley lowered Caterpillar from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $349.00 to $332.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Raymond James started coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $380.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $355.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Caterpillar news, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 2,975 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,615 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,347,825.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 3,185 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.36, for a total value of $1,119,081.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 33,442 shares in the company, valued at $11,750,181.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% 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.