Argus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Stock

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) had its price target hoisted by equities research analysts at Argus from $625.00 to $820.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Argus’ target price points to a potential upside of 8.08% from the stock’s current price.

CAT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 price objective on Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, January 30th. HSBC lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $702.00 to $756.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $702.95.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $758.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $630.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $538.08. The stock has a market cap of $355.06 billion, a PE ratio of 40.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $789.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,142,227.60. The trade was a 18.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. The trade was a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 130,545 shares of company stock valued at $88,294,733. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CAT. Pacific Point Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 3.3% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 137,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,860,000 after purchasing an additional 4,380 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 8,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Courier Capital LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 4,391 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,705,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and higher price targets lift the outlook — Bank of America raised its CAT target to $825 and Argus boosted its target to $820 with a buy rating, supporting upside vs. peers. Bank of America Raises CAT Price Target Argus Raises Target
• Positive Sentiment: Press and research lift the narrative that CAT is a beneficiary of structural trends (AI automation in heavy equipment, India infrastructure demand), which supports longer-term revenue exposure. MSN AI Boom Story India Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in favorable fund and research write-ups (Barron’s coverage noting CAT leading a dividend ETF’s gains; Zacks highlighting CAT as a long-term pick) adds demand from dividend/value and quant investors. Barron’s Dividend ETF Zacks Feature
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events and analyst reports: CFO Andrew Bonfield will appear at a Barclays conference (potential for new guidance/color) and Yahoo Finance syndicated research summaries published today; likely to generate incremental newsflow but not immediate direction. CFO Barclays Chat Top Research Reports
• Positive Sentiment: Small institutional buying reported (Allegheny Financial Group increased its stake), which is supportive of demand from asset managers. Allegheny Buys
• Negative Sentiment: Insider/insider-adjacent selling filings (recent small sales disclosed) and elevated volume suggest profit-taking after the rally; these sales can weigh on near-term price momentum. Insider Sales 1 Insider Sales 2

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.