Caterpillar Inc (NYSE: CAT)’s stock price has decreased by -0.82 compared to its previous closing price of 378.92. However, the company has seen a -3.24% decrease in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. zacks.com reported 2024-12-17 that In the latest trading session, Caterpillar (CAT) closed at $375.76, marking a -0.84% move from the previous day.
Is It Worth Investing in Caterpillar Inc (NYSE: CAT) Right Now?
Caterpillar Inc (NYSE: CAT) has a price-to-earnings ratio that is above its average at 17.43x. The stock has a 36-month beta value of 1.10. Opinions on the stock are mixed, with 7 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 4 as “overweight,” 9 as “hold,” and 6 as “sell.”
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The public float for CAT is 481.85M, and at present, short sellers hold a 1.84% of that float. On December 18, 2024, the average trading volume of CAT was 2.24M shares.
CAT’s Market Performance
The stock of Caterpillar Inc (CAT) has seen a -3.24% decrease in the past week, with a -2.15% drop in the past month, and a 5.82% gain in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 1.44%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.87% for CAT. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -4.35% for CAT’s stock, with a 4.73% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of CAT
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for CAT stocks, with Evercore ISI repeating the rating for CAT by listing it as a “Underperform.” The predicted price for CAT in the upcoming period, according to Evercore ISI is $365 based on the research report published on November 13, 2024 of the current year 2024.
Morgan Stanley, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see CAT reach a price target of $332, previously predicting the price at $349. The rating they have provided for CAT stocks is “Underweight” according to the report published on October 14th, 2024.
CAT Trading at -3.97% 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 -10.20% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.87%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 1.44%, as shares sank -2.25% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -5.64% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, CAT fell by -3.24%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +10.97% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $392.90. In addition, Caterpillar Inc saw 27.10% 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 Johnson Gerald, who purchase 100 shares at the price of $398.57 back on Dec 04 ’24. After this action, Johnson Gerald now owns 2,953 shares of Caterpillar Inc, valued at $39,857 using the latest closing price.
Fassino Anthony D., the Group President of Caterpillar Inc, sale 6,279 shares at $408.59 during a trade that took place back on Nov 29 ’24, which means that Fassino Anthony D. is holding 33,565 shares at $2,565,537 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
- 0.36 for the gross margin
The net margin for Caterpillar Inc stands at 0.16. The total capital return value is set at 0.25. Equity return is now at value 53.54, with 12.34 for asset returns.
Based on Caterpillar Inc (CAT), the company’s capital structure generated 0.66 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.33. The debt to equity ratio resting at 1.95. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 25.49.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 15.71 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 1.98. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 3.25. The receivables turnover for the company is 3.43for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.76. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 1.40.
Conclusion
To sum up, Caterpillar Inc (CAT) has seen a mixed performance recently. Analysts have differing views on the stock, with some seeing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
