Q1 EPS Estimates for Caterpillar Decreased by Zacks Research

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for Caterpillar in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, February 13th. Zacks Research analyst M. Das now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $4.32 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $4.59. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar's current full-year earnings is $19.98 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Caterpillar's FY2027 earnings at $22.12 EPS.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on CAT. UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $383.80.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE:CAT traded down $0.74 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $353.26. 2,210,863 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,399,368. The company has a market capitalization of $170.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.12. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $370.89 and a 200 day moving average of $372.54. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $307.05 and a 1-year high of $418.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,541,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. First Bank & Trust grew its stake in Caterpillar by 4.0% during the third quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Bank lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 1.2% in the third quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 2,349 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $919,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total value of $3,800,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,704 shares of company stock valued at $7,226,584. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.56%.

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.