Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target Raised to $940.00 at Robert W. Baird

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) had its price target hoisted by Robert W. Baird from $805.00 to $940.00 in a research report released on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

CAT has been the topic of several other research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $677.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Argus increased their target price on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Caterpillar from $678.00 to $769.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group increased their target price on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $767.77.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.5%

CAT traded up $27.95 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $836.82. 552,142 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,690,182. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $738.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $641.87. The firm has a market cap of $389.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.52. Caterpillar has a 1 year low of $297.07 and a 1 year high of $839.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar will post 22.88 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.09%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total transaction of $1,797,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 35,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,222,221.19. This represents a 6.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 972 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $764.20, for a total value of $742,802.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $629,700.80. This represents a 54.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Planning Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth $245,000. Next Level Private LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Next Level Private LLC now owns 1,448 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,026,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 11,792 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,354,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,014 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth $205,000. 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:

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its price target on CAT to $940 (maintaining an “Outperform”), signaling more upside from current levels and reinforcing buy-side momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo and other analysts have raised targets (Wells Fargo to ~$960) and reiterated positive ratings, citing AI/data‑center demand and an industrial recovery—these upgrades are driving confidence among institutional players. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Truist and other analysts expect CAT shares to rise, adding to the cluster of bullish forecasts that support continued buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst and research coverage (Zacks, IBD) highlights earnings growth and technical strength—Caterpillar’s strong quarterly results and margins underpin valuations and justify higher targets. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic M&A and partnerships: CAT acquired a California self‑driving tractor startup and partnered with Geotab on full‑fleet telematics — moves that expand automation and data capabilities, supporting longer‑term revenue diversification. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar reiterated its dividend amid management change, signaling management focus on shareholder returns and capital allocation discipline. That tends to support the stock in the eyes of income‑oriented investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: CAT named a longtime executive as its new CFO — generally a stability signal but impact depends on execution and guidance from new finance leadership. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary asks whether investors are “too late” after a sharp rally (strong YTD and 1‑year gains). This narrative can temper further upside by raising valuation concerns for some buyers. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short market‑movement reports note modest daily gains; these pieces explain intraday flows but don’t change the fundamental bullish case. Read More.

About Caterpillar

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.