Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT – Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two 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. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $339.94.
A number of brokerages have commented on CAT. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $270.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Caterpillar from $338.00 to $321.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Barclays upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Raymond James assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Caterpillar
Insider Activity
Institutional Trading of Caterpillar
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Thompson Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Fairman Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bbjs Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.
Caterpillar Trading Down 0.0 %
Shares of CAT opened at $390.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $191.18 billion, a PE ratio of 17.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.28. Caterpillar has a fifty-two week low of $223.76 and a fifty-two week high of $397.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $346.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $346.48.
Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The industrial products company reported $5.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.53 by $0.46. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.88% and a net margin of 16.58%. The firm had revenue of $16.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.55 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 21.91 EPS for the current year.
Caterpillar announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, June 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 12.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Caterpillar Company Profile
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.
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