Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$335.49 -0.76 (-0.23%)

Closing price 03/21/2025 03:58 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$335.91 +0.42 (+0.13%)

As of 03/21/2025 07:59 PM Eastern

Caterpillar - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

Consensus Rating

Hold

Based on 18 Analyst Ratings

Sell
2

Hold
7

Buy
9

Based on 18 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Caterpillar in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 18 analysts, 2 have given a sell rating, 7 have given a hold rating, and 9 have given a buy rating for CAT.

Consensus Price Target

$383.80
14.40% Upside

According to the 18 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Caterpillar, the average price target is $383.80. The highest price target for CAT is $490.00, while the lowest price target for CAT is $300.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 14.40% from the current price of $335.49.

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CAT Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 3/23/24 to 3/23/25	1 Month Ago 2/22/24 to 2/21/25	3 Months Ago 12/24/23 to 12/23/24	1 Year Ago 3/24/23 to 3/23/24
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	9 Buy rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)
Hold	7 Hold rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)
Sell	2 Sell rating(s)	2 Sell rating(s)	4 Sell rating(s)	1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$383.80	$383.80	$384.33	$297.89
Forecasted Upside	14.40% Upside	12.94% Upside	5.18% Upside	-16.81% Downside
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Hold	Hold

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CAT Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

CAT Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

Caterpillar Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Caterpillar	Industrials Companies	S&P 500
Consensus Rating Score	2.39	2.67	2.54
Consensus Rating	Hold	Moderate Buy	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	14.40% Upside	376.23% Upside	18.90% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent CAT News	Positive News	Positive News

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Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export to Excel

Date	Brokerage	Analyst Name	Action	Rating	Price Target	Upside/Downside on Report Date
2/19/2025	Evercore ISI 2 of 5 stars	D. Raso Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	In-Line ➝ In-Line	$365.00 ➝ $375.00	+6.93%
2/4/2025	DA Davidson 2 of 5 stars	Michael Shlisky Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$350.00 ➝ $357.00	-1.04%
2/3/2025	Raymond James 4 of 5 stars		Upgrade	Market Perform ➝ Outperform
2/3/2025	Wedbush Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Outperform
2/3/2025	Truist Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Jamie Cook Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$455.00 ➝ $438.00	+20.73%
2/3/2025	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Steven Fisher Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Upgrade	Sell ➝ Neutral	$355.00 ➝ $385.00	+3.53%
1/31/2025	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Kyle Menges Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$420.00 ➝ $430.00	+15.39%
1/31/2025	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Tami Zakaria Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Overweight ➝ Overweight	$515.00 ➝ $490.00	+31.61%
1/31/2025	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Michael Feniger Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$452.00 ➝ $414.00	+10.75%
1/31/2025	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Angel Castillo Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Underweight ➝ Underweight	$330.00 ➝ $300.00	-20.21%
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12/6/2024	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$455.00 ➝ $475.00	+20.26%
10/31/2024	Robert W. Baird Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Underperform ➝ Underperform	$299.00 ➝ $300.00	-20.89%
8/7/2024	Barclays Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$315.00 ➝ $335.00	+1.78%
4/30/2024	HSBC Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$330.00 ➝ $360.00	+6.90%
4/26/2024	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$338.00 ➝ $340.00	+0.52%
4/26/2024	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Buy ➝ Hold	$293.00 ➝ $350.00	+3.48%
4/18/2024	Oppenheimer Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Market Perform ➝ Market Perform
4/16/2024	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$357.00 ➝ $408.00	+13.10%
2/6/2024	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$290.00 ➝ $325.00	+1.36%
12/21/2023	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Market Perform ➝ Market Perform	$216.00 ➝ $245.00	-14.86%
11/8/2023	Tigress Financial Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Buy ➝ Buy	$282.00 ➝ $295.00	+24.88%
8/2/2023	Credit Suisse Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Outperform ➝ Outperform	$279.00 ➝ $334.00	+15.76%
4/12/2023	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Hold	$228.00 ➝ $225.00	+1.99%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Sunday at 02:34 PM ET.

Should I Buy Caterpillar Stock? CAT Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Please send any questions or comments about these Caterpillar pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Caterpillar
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Caterpillar Inc.:

Caterpillar Inc. reported earnings per share of $5.14 for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.97, indicating strong financial performance and effective management.
The company has a high return on equity of 58.18%, which suggests that it is efficient in generating profits from its equity investments, making it an attractive option for investors seeking strong returns.
Recent upgrades from multiple research firms, including UBS and Jefferies, have raised price targets for Caterpillar, reflecting positive sentiment and potential for stock appreciation.
The current stock price is $339.59, which is below the average target price of $383.80 set by analysts, suggesting that there may be room for growth in the stock value.
Caterpillar Inc. has a solid net margin of 16.65%, indicating that it retains a significant portion of revenue as profit, which can be beneficial for long-term investors.

Caterpillar
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in Caterpillar Inc. for these reasons:

Insider selling activity has been noted, with key executives reducing their holdings, which may signal a lack of confidence in the company's short-term prospects.
The stock has experienced fluctuations, with a 52-week high of $418.50 and a low of $307.05, indicating potential volatility that could deter risk-averse investors.
Despite positive earnings, the company faces challenges in the broader economic environment, which could impact future performance and investor sentiment.
Analysts have mixed ratings, with two sell ratings and eight hold ratings, suggesting that not all market experts are optimistic about the stock's future performance.
The debt-to-equity ratio stands at 1.40, which indicates that the company has a relatively high level of debt compared to its equity, potentially increasing financial risk for investors.

CAT Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 18 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Caterpillar is $383.80, with a high forecast of $490.00 and a low forecast of $300.00.
: 18 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Caterpillar in the last year. There are currently 2 sell ratings, 7 hold ratings and 9 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" CAT shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in CAT, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.
: According to analysts, Caterpillar's stock has a predicted upside of 14.40% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Over the previous 90 days, Caterpillar's stock had 4 upgrades by analysts.
: Caterpillar has been rated by research analysts at Bank of America, Citigroup, DA Davidson, Evercore ISI, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley, Raymond James, Truist Financial, UBS Group, and Wedbush in the past 90 days.
: Analysts like Caterpillar less than other "industrials" companies. The consensus rating for Caterpillar is Hold while the average consensus rating for "industrials" companies is Moderate Buy. Learn more on how CAT compares to other companies.

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This page (NYSE:CAT) was last updated on 3/23/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Forecast & Price Target