Zacks Research Increases Earnings Estimates for Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q2 2025 earnings per share estimates for Caterpillar in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst M. Das now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $5.19 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $5.14. The consensus estimate for Caterpillar’s current full-year earnings is $21.69 per share.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.33 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. The business had revenue of $16.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.52 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis.

CAT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $471.00 to $455.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $460.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an “underperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $365.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $380.60.

Caterpillar Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of CAT stock opened at $406.87 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $380.20 and a 200 day moving average of $368.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Caterpillar has a 1-year low of $288.34 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.13.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 968 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.98, for a total value of $368,788.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,686 shares in the company, valued at $642,332.28. This represents a 36.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. The trade was a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 33,868 shares of company stock valued at $13,480,389. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the third quarter worth $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its position in Caterpillar by 334.8% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 42.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 130.0% in the 4th quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Company Profile

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.