Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $301.94.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $274.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $365.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $182.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.15, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $342.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.97. Caterpillar has a fifty-two week low of $204.04 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The business had revenue of $17.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.86 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 21.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,886,667.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 130,632.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,784,017 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,343,859,000 after buying an additional 9,776,533 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,660,560,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at approximately $433,134,000. Imprint Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 24,982.9% in the second quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC now owns 1,538,084 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $153,808,000 after purchasing an additional 1,531,952 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 28,603.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,494,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,417,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,488,813 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.