The stock of Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) has gone down by -2.18% for the week, with a -4.54% drop in the past month and a 15.35% rise in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.41%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are 2.42% for CAT. The simple moving average for the last 20 days is -3.76% for CAT stock, with a simple moving average of 19.66% for the last 200 days.
Is It Worth Investing in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) Right Now?
The price-to-earnings ratio for Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) is 15.79x, which is above its average ratio. Moreover, the 36-month beta value for CAT is 1.17. Analysts have varying opinions on the stock, with 7 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 4 as “overweight,” 11 as “hold,” and 2 as “sell.”
The public float for CAT is 498.38M and currently, short sellers hold a 2.56% of that float. On April 30, 2024, CAT’s average trading volume was 2.44M shares.
CAT) stock’s latest price update
The stock price of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) has surged by 1.87 when compared to previous closing price of 343.38, but the company has seen a -2.18% decline in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. CNBC Television reported 2024-04-29 that CNBC’s Seema Mody joins ‘Power Lunch’ with the latest on AI plays in the tech space.
Analysts’ Opinion of CAT
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for CAT stocks, with TD Cowen repeating the rating for CAT by listing it as a “Buy.” The predicted price for CAT in the upcoming period, according to TD Cowen is $340 based on the research report published on April 26, 2024 of the current year 2024.
Stifel, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see CAT reach a price target of $350, previously predicting the price at $293. The rating they have provided for CAT stocks is “Hold” according to the report published on April 26th, 2024.
Truist gave a rating of “Buy” to CAT, setting the target price at $390 in the report published on March 14th of the current year.
CAT Trading at 0.16% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought CAT to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -8.43% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 2.42%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.41%, as shares sank -3.83% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +8.27% upper at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, CAT fell by -2.18%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +36.72% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $362.75. In addition, Caterpillar Inc. saw 18.31% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at CAT starting from Fassino Anthony D., who sale 4,575 shares at the price of $329.80 back on Feb 28 ’24. After this action, Fassino Anthony D. now owns 23,474 shares of Caterpillar Inc., valued at $1,508,835 using the latest closing price.
MacLennan David, the Director of Caterpillar Inc., purchase 350 shares at $323.37 during a trade that took place back on Feb 23 ’24, which means that MacLennan David is holding 5,238 shares at $113,180 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for CAT
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.21 for the present operating margin
- 0.35 for the gross margin
The net margin for Caterpillar Inc. stands at 0.17. The total capital return value is set at 0.27. Equity return is now at value 62.86, with 13.44 for asset returns.
Based on Caterpillar Inc. (CAT), the company’s capital structure generated 0.68 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.35. The debt to equity ratio resting at 2.15. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 20.23.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 15.97 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 2.03. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 3.1. The receivables turnover for the company is 3.57for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.8. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 1.35.
Conclusion
To wrap up, the performance of Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) has been mixed in recent times. The stock has received a bullish of “buy” and “hold” ratings from analysts. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
