Caterpillar (CAT) to Release 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 that wish to register for the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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. The company’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Caterpillar to post $21 EPS for the current fiscal year and $23 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.6 %

CAT stock opened at $363.39 on Wednesday. Caterpillar has a 12-month low of $204.04 and a 12-month high of $382.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $181.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50 day moving average of $348.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $299.59.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $390.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.56.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.