Brokerages Set Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Price Target at $380.13

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the seventeen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $383.13.

Several equities analysts have commented on CAT shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total value of $2,565,536.61. Following the sale, the insider now owns 33,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,714,323.35. This represents a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,977.21. The trade was a 3.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 60.7% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 121,211 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,970,000 after acquiring an additional 45,765 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 653,925 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $237,218,000 after purchasing an additional 150,905 shares during the last quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,149 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $780,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 141.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 138,605 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $50,280,000 after acquiring an additional 81,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $124,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $363.84 on Monday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $376.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $371.48. The company has a market cap of $175.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar has a one year low of $307.05 and a one year high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 20.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.56%.

About Caterpillar

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.