Analysts Set Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Price Target at $737.55

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-four ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $737.5455.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $765.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $729.00 to $817.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wall Street Zen cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $760.00 to $785.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total transaction of $6,130,517.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,236,946.70. This represents a 14.47% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:CAT opened at $720.84 on Friday. Caterpillar has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $789.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $717.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $616.99. The stock has a market cap of $335.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.30, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

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

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.