Brokerages Set Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Price Target at $380.13

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $383.13.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI raised Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,176,977.21. This trade represents a 3.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total value of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 33,565 shares in the company, valued at $13,714,323.35. This trade represents a 15.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 98,778 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,634,000 after purchasing an additional 5,584 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 14.2% during the third quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC now owns 709 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $277,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 92,144 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,039,000 after acquiring an additional 1,677 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 33.1% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,980 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,983 shares during the period. Finally, WealthBridge Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. WealthBridge Capital Management LLC now owns 1,132 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $363.84 on Monday. Caterpillar has a 1 year low of $307.05 and a 1 year high of $418.50. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $377.44 and a 200 day moving average of $371.18. The stock has a market cap of $175.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.12.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar will post 21.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.56%.

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.