Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research 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 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $702.95.

Several research firms recently commented on CAT. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $710.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total value of $16,314,812.16. Following the transaction, the insider owned 79,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 1,764 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $763.39, for a total transaction of $1,346,619.96. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,099,281.60. This represents a 55.06% 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 sold 141,172 shares of company stock valued at $96,514,673. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted 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 valued at $2,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 18.6% in the second quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 7,642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,967,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter worth $233,000. Finally, Davidson Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. Davidson Investment Advisors now owns 1,299 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar completed deals and investments that expand its mining?tech and electrification footprint — seen as revenue?diversifying, higher?margin growth drivers. Caterpillar acquires RPMGlobal to bolster mining tech solutions
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar VC backed ElevenEs’ Series B and the planned 1GWh LFP battery factory in Subotica — moves that accelerate CAT’s exposure to electrification and data?center/industrial power markets. ElevenEs Held 1st Closing of Its Series B Investment Round Backed by Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage (Financial Times reporting) indicates a major battery?factory investment in Subotica — another signal Caterpillar is committing capital to batteries and electrified power systems. Financial Times Exclusive: Caterpillar Invests in Mega Battery Factory in Subotica
• Positive Sentiment: Stock leadership in the Dow year?to?date highlights investor appetite for CAT’s cyclical recovery plus structural exposure (data centers, AI infrastructure, electrification). Caterpillar, Honeywell, and Chevron Lead the Dow Jones in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presented at Barclays’ industrial conference — useful for incremental guidance or detail on demand/margins but not an immediate earnings surprise. Review the transcript for color. Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) Presents at Barclays 43rd Annual Industrial Select Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Joe Creed and Group President Rod Shurman will speak at CONEXPO (March 5) — an investor/industry visibility event that could provide incremental management commentary. Caterpillar CEO Joe Creed and Group President Rod Shurman to Participate in Fireside Chat at CONEXPO
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: recent commentary flags that CAT’s expansion into mining tech and batteries is positive but may be largely priced in — investors worry about a richly valued multiple versus near?term execution risk. Caterpillar’s Mining Tech And Battery Moves Confront Rich Valuation Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders have trimmed holdings in recent filings (including CAO William Schaupp and Group President Rod Shurman), which can create short?term selling pressure or signal opportunistic monetization. SEC Filing – William E. Schaupp Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst note risk: at least one research house lowered near?term Q2 EPS estimates, a reminder that beat?and?raise expectations must be sustained to justify current multiples. Q2 EPS Estimates Lowered by Zacks Research

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:CAT opened at $760.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $353.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.39, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $646.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $549.61. Caterpillar has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $789.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.14 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th were given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 32.09%.

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.