Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target Increased to $435.00 by Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) had its price target hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $385.00 to $435.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on CAT. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $274.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $285.00 to $293.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $307.56.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.2 %

CAT stock opened at $359.65 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $179.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. Caterpillar has a 12 month low of $204.04 and a 12 month high of $382.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $344.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $296.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.86 EPS. As a group, 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.82%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total value of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 67,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total value of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 67,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Opinicus Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth $250,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 18,986 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,957,000 after purchasing an additional 1,229 shares during the last quarter. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 98.7% during the 1st quarter. Viewpoint Capital Management LLC now owns 25,333 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $9,283,000 after purchasing an additional 12,585 shares during the last quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 9,869 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,616,000 after acquiring an additional 995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth $211,000. 70.98% of the stock is 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.