FY2025 EPS Forecast for Caterpillar Decreased by Analyst

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Equities researchers at DA Davidson lowered their FY2025 EPS estimates for Caterpillar in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, February 4th. DA Davidson analyst M. Shlisky now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $20.23 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $22.93. DA Davidson currently has a “Neutral” rating and a $357.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $21.45 per share.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $438.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $383.13.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.9 %

CAT stock opened at $365.54 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $378.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $371.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $176.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar has a 12 month low of $307.05 and a 12 month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $219,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 67.5% during the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 1,263 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,510 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,636,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $353,231,000. Finally, First Business Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2,099.0% in the 4th quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 14,667 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,321,000 after purchasing an additional 14,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $398.57 per share, with a total value of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,953 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,977.21. The trade was a 3.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. 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.