Wells Fargo & Company Boosts Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target to $870.00

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) had its price objective boosted by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $756.00 to $870.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 14.60% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on CAT. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $677.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $712.52.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:CAT traded down $9.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $759.18. The company had a trading volume of 400,307 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,872,353. The business’s fifty day moving average is $656.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $558.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $353.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $789.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.14 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total value of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,524,818. This trade represents a 47.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total value of $6,130,517.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 46,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,236,946.70. This trade represents a 14.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $98,245,065. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CAT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth $2,165,899,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 82.0% during the second quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,820,000 after purchasing an additional 12,278 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA raised its stake in Caterpillar by 155.9% in the third quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,014,000 after buying an additional 28,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,893,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised estimates and price targets after recent results and outlooks, supporting bullish sentiment and demand for CAT shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar acquired Australian mining‑software firm RPMGlobal, expanding its mining-software and services footprint — a strategic deal that can boost higher‑margin software and services revenue over time. Caterpillar Acquires RPMGlobal
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar Venture Capital backed ElevenEs’ Series B first closing — an investment signaling allocation into adjacent tech/commodity-trading areas that could support product diversification. ElevenEs Series B Backed by Caterpillar Venture Capital
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage highlights CAT as a major supplier in expanding markets like diesel gensets and power systems — positive long‑term market share context but not an immediate catalyst. Diesel Gensets Market Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundups (Benzinga, Zacks) reiterate strong earnings momentum but note cyclicality and exposure to commodity and construction cycles — helpful framing for risk/reward but not a single directional catalyst. Analyst Expectations For Caterpillar’s Future
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation pieces note CAT now trades at a premium after strong gains, raising sensitivity to any slowdown in orders or margins — a cautionary context for investors. Assessing Caterpillar Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: director Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares (and sold additional shares earlier this month) — a disclosure that can create short‑term investor caution even if the dollar size is small relative to CAT’s market cap. Rodney Michael Shurman Sells CAT Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Peer comparison: coverage highlighting a widening performance gap between Caterpillar and Deere could spook relative‑performance traders if Deere’s order momentum or margins are clearly stronger. Caterpillar vs Deere: Earnings Stories Diverge

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.