Oppenheimer Increases Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target to $817.00

Caterpillar (NYSE:CATGet Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Oppenheimer from $729.00 to $817.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Oppenheimer’s price target points to a potential upside of 18.13% from the stock’s previous close.

CAT has been the subject of several other reports. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Argus boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $724.81.

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Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded down $14.48 on Friday, hitting $691.60. 1,210,796 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,934,243. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $679.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $572.33. Caterpillar has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $789.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $321.79 billion, a PE ratio of 36.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.54. 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:CATGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The company’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total transaction of $7,261,081.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. The trade was a 20.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total transaction of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,142,227.60. This trade represents a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 133,450 shares of company stock worth $92,530,665. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,165,899,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,228,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,494,568,000 after purchasing an additional 5,098,964 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $1,225,317,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 1,851.8% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,830,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $873,382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736,631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Caterpillar by 573.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $861,947,000 after buying an additional 1,281,087 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

About Caterpillar

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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.

Further Reading

Analyst Recommendations for Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT)

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