Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eighteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $323.35.

Several research analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. HSBC boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. StockNews.com cut Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, April 18th.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of CAT stock opened at $344.49 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $352.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $305.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. Caterpillar has a fifty-two week low of $205.60 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.79% and a return on equity of 58.61%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar will post 21.79 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $337.39 per share, for a total transaction of $168,695.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,738 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,943.82. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.3% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 10,695 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,919,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Southland Equity Partners LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 4.0% in the first quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 784 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Davis Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 2.1% during the first quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $541,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.3% during the first quarter. Exchange Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,016 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $372,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 789 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by 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.