Q1 EPS Estimates for Caterpillar Lifted by Zacks Research

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) - Zacks Research upped their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for shares of Caterpillar in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, April 3rd. Zacks Research analyst M. Das now expects that the industrial products company will earn $5.11 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $5.05. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar's current full-year earnings is $19.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Caterpillar's FY2027 earnings at $22.91 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $430.00 to $320.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $373.20.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT traded up $18.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $292.39. 2,313,035 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,598,490. The company has a market capitalization of $139.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $339.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $369.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar has a 52-week low of $266.62 and a 52-week high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $285,382,000 after purchasing an additional 5,371 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 1,138 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $445,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 9.2% in the third quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 2,356 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $922,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its stake in Caterpillar by 11.1% in the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 255,485 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $99,925,000 after purchasing an additional 25,568 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 70.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 69,858 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,323,000 after buying an additional 28,826 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.