Caterpillar Inc (NYSE: CAT)’s stock price has increased by 2.50 compared to its previous closing price of 362.50. However, the company has seen a 2.02% increase in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. fool.com reported 2025-01-13 that Caterpillar (CAT 3.28%) was quite the energetic cat on the stock exchange as the trading week kicked off. The durable construction vehicle and equipment maker’s shares ended the day more than 3% higher, on news of an analyst’s recommendation upgrade.
Is It Worth Investing in Caterpillar Inc (NYSE: CAT) Right Now?
Caterpillar Inc (NYSE: CAT) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23x compared to its average ratio, The 36-month beta value for CAT is at 1.11. Analysts have varying views on the stock, with 7 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 4 rating it as “overweight,” 11 as “hold,” and 5 as “sell.”
The public float for CAT is 481.86M, and currently, shorts hold a 1.88% of that float. The average trading volume for CAT on January 15, 2025 was 2.07M shares.
CAT’s Market Performance
CAT stock saw a decrease of 2.02% in the past week, with a monthly decline of -4.45% and a quarterly a decrease of -7.57%. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.16%, and the volatility levels for the last 30 days are 2.06% for Caterpillar Inc (CAT). The simple moving average for the last 20 days is 1.62% for CAT stock, with a simple moving average of 3.17% for the last 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 “In-line.” The predicted price for CAT in the upcoming period, according to Evercore ISI is $365 based on the research report published on January 13, 2025 of the current year 2025.
Evercore ISI, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see CAT reach a price target of $365, previously predicting the price at $321. The rating they have provided for CAT stocks is “Underperform” according to the report published on November 13th, 2024.
Morgan Stanley gave a rating of “Underweight” to CAT, setting the target price at $332 in the report published on October 14th of the previous year.
CAT Trading at -2.74% 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 -11.21% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 2.06%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.16%, as shares sank -2.42% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -2.02% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, CAT rose by +2.02%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +1.90% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $365.66. In addition, Caterpillar Inc saw 2.43% 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 3.22. 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
In conclusion, Caterpillar Inc (CAT) has had a mixed performance lately. Opinion on the stock among analysts is bullish, with some giving it a “buy” rating and others 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.
