Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Given New $1,045.00 Price Target at Jefferies Financial Group

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $900.00 to $1,045.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 16.30% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on CAT. Argus raised their target price on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Williams Trading set a $825.00 price target on Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $960.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $849.27.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $898.55 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $746.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $655.04. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $318.11 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $418.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.80, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.52.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The business had revenue of $17.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.25 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 22.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total transaction of $1,730,391.58. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,443 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,117.23. This represents a 61.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. This represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390 over the last 90 days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raise — Caterpillar reported stronger-than-expected Q1 results (adj. EPS $5.54; revenue $17.4B, +22% y/y), deployed $5.7B to buybacks/dividends, and lifted its annual/long-term revenue outlook, giving investors confidence in near-term growth and cash returns. Caterpillar Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven power demand — Management and reporters highlight a boom in demand for power and energy equipment tied to AI/data-center buildouts, which is expanding Caterpillar’s addressable market for generators and power systems and underpins the raised outlook. Caterpillar expects AI-driven demand for power, construction to fuel growth
• Positive Sentiment: Record backlog and sector leadership — Reports note a record backlog in power and construction segments, helping drive the stock to all-time highs as investors price in sustained revenue visibility. Caterpillar stock jumps on record backlog…
• Positive Sentiment: New multi-year power deal — A framework agreement with ProPetro’s PROPWR to supply up to 2.1 GW of power capacity through 2031/2032 expands recurring power equipment demand and strengthens exposure to data-center and industrial power projects. Caterpillar Taps PROPWR And Data Centers For New Power Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Baird analyst Mig Dobre made CAT a fresh bullish pick and raised his price target to $1,165 (Street-high), adding momentum from the sell-side that can attract further buyer interest. Caterpillar Stock Can Rise Another 30%
• Neutral Sentiment: Market and ETF flows — ETFs and Dow-related flows have amplified CAT’s move after the earnings surprise, raising liquidity and volatility around the stock. ETFs tied to Caterpillar jump…
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events — Company announced a virtual annual shareholder meeting for June 10; routine corporate governance item with limited near-term price impact. Caterpillar Announces Virtual 2026 Shareholder Meeting
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff pressure — Multiple reports note Caterpillar expects significant tariff costs in 2026; higher input/transport tariffs could weigh on margins and offset some benefits from pricing and volume. Caterpillar expecting significant tariff costs again for 2026

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.