Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $610.3158.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $485.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $476.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, November 24th. HSBC upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $405.00 to $660.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $576.76 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. Caterpillar has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $596.21. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $530.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $444.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $269.91 billion, a PE ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 1.51.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $17.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 47.16% and a net margin of 14.34%.Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, October 20th were given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 31.01%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $572.22, for a total value of $686,664.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $757,047.06. This trade represents a 47.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $563.60, for a total transaction of $6,034,465.20. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 8,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,874,576.40. The trade was a 55.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 86,229 shares of company stock worth $43,323,118 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. WealthShield Partners LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 1.6% in the third quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $535,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. one8zero8 LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 619 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 3,214 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,534,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Cyr Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cyr Financial Inc. now owns 811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $821,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.