Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Given New $700.00 Price Target at Oppenheimer

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) had its target price upped by Oppenheimer from $645.00 to $700.00 in a research report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CAT. UBS Group raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $506.00 to $581.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $675.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $690.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $557.00 to $630.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $625.85.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $628.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $294.18 billion, a PE ratio of 32.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $655.68. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $589.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $506.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.38.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.52 by $0.43. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 47.16% and a net margin of 14.34%.The firm had revenue of $17.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.17 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 31.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,142,227.60. This represents a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $563.60, for a total transaction of $6,034,465.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,874,576.40. This represents a 55.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,729 shares of company stock valued at $31,084,308. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target on CAT to $700 from $645 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying ~11% upside from the current price — a near-term bullish catalyst that supports upside expectations for the stock. Benzinga MarketScreener The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar unveiled “Cat AI Assistant,” signaling increased investment in software/AI offerings that could expand services, aftermarket revenue and sticky customer relationships — a strategic positive if it drives higher-margin recurring sales. Lawn & Landscape
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and coverage note a potential tailwind from accelerated data-center construction tied to AI — increased demand for on-site power and generators could lift equipment sales for Caterpillar. This is a thematic upside case for 2026 revenue drivers. Invezz
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus brokerage coverage remains constructive (average “Moderate Buy”), which supports investor confidence despite recent weakness. American Banking News
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/deep-dive pieces — e.g., comparisons with Volvo and dividend-aristocrat roundups — highlight mixed fundamentals: long-term infrastructure demand and tech investment versus slowing end-market demand and tariff risks. These are informative but contain balanced pros/cons. Zacks: CAT vs Volvo Zacks: Dividend Aristocrats
• Neutral Sentiment: Discussion about whether Caterpillar will resume production of new on-highway engines raises product-strategy questions; implications depend on management decisions and regulatory trends, so impact is uncertain. Overdrive

About Caterpillar

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.