Caterpillar (CAT) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) is set to release its earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect Caterpillar to post earnings of $5.11 per share for the quarter. Persons interested in listening to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The company had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.86 EPS. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Caterpillar to post $21 EPS for the current fiscal year and $23 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.4 %

Caterpillar stock opened at $358.33 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $178.95 billion, a PE ratio of 17.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. Caterpillar has a fifty-two week low of $204.04 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $345.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $296.78.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.82%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at $60,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 376.7% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 205 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth about $43,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, HWG Holdings LP increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 636.4% during the 2nd quarter. HWG Holdings LP now owns 162 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on CAT. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and increased their target price for the company from $321.00 to $338.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.56.

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.