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

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $726.00.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $678.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $760.00 to $785.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Argus increased their target price on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst price‑target raises lift the outlook and signal upside potential; Citigroup bumped its target to $785 and reiterated a Buy rating, implying further upside from current levels. Article Title MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: Additional published price‑target increases (to $817 and $825) further underpin analyst confidence and provide explicit upside benchmarks for investors. Price Target $817 Price Target $825
• Positive Sentiment: Product and tech innovation headlines — including a new heavy electric‑drive dozer and AI/autonomous jobsite showcases at CONEXPO — support a re‑rating toward higher valuation multiples if execution and adoption continue. Electric Dozer AI Jobsite Tech
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media/analyst features (Zacks, Motley Fool) frame CAT as a long‑term favorite and list reasons to buy, reinforcing investor interest and momentum narratives. Zacks Fool
• Neutral Sentiment: Forbes highlights a short‑term pullback from recent highs and debates buy‑the‑dip vs. profit‑taking; useful for traders weighing entry timing but not a change to the company’s fundamentals. Forbes
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Market Edge highlighted Caterpillar among notable names — additional visibility but no new company guidance reported. Zacks Market Edge
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: the CEO sold about $1.8M of stock; outlets note this activity and it has prompted intraday weakness in some reports — a potential near‑term headwind for sentiment. Insider Sale Trading Down Article

Caterpillar Stock Up 3.4%

CAT stock opened at $704.10 on Tuesday. Caterpillar has a twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $789.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $327.61 billion, a PE ratio of 37.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $683.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $578.41.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.14 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th were issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.09%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total transaction of $7,261,081.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. This trade represents a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,524,818. This trade represents a 47.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 135,950 shares of company stock worth $94,327,990 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 47.4% in the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.