Is Caterpillar Stock a Good Investment?

Caterpillar Investment Advice

  CAT
To provide specific investment advice or recommendations on Caterpillar stock, we recommend investors consider the following general factors when evaluating Caterpillar. This will help you to make an informed decision on whether to include Caterpillar in one of your diversified portfolios:
  • Examine Caterpillar's financial health by looking at its balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. Analyze key financial ratios, such as Price-to-Earnings (P/E), Price-to-Sales (P/S), and Price-to-Book (P/B), to determine whether the stock is fairly valued or over/undervalued.
  • Research Caterpillar's leadership team and their track record. Good management can help Caterpillar navigate difficult times and make strategic decisions that benefit shareholders and increases its net worth.
  • Consider the overall health of the Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment space and any emerging trends that could impact Caterpillar's business and its evolving consumer preferences.
  • Compare Caterpillar's performance and market position to its competitors. Analyze how Caterpillar is positioned in terms of product offerings, innovation, and market share.
  • Check if Caterpillar pays a dividend and its dividend yield and payout ratio.
  • Review what financial analysts are saying about Caterpillar's stock and their price targets. However, remember that analysts' opinions can vary, and their predictions may not always be accurate.
It's important to note that investing in Caterpillar stock, carries risks, and you should carefully consider your investment goals and risk tolerance before making any investment decisions. Also, remember that it's important for investors to have a long-term perspective and a well-diversified portfolio to manage the impact of stock market volatility on their investments. Below is a detailed guide on how to decide if Caterpillar is a good investment.
 
Sell
 
Buy
Strong Hold
Macroaxis provides advice on Caterpillar to complement and cross-verify current analyst consensus on Caterpillar. Our investment recommendation engine determines the company's potential to grow exclusively from the perspective of an investor's current risk tolerance and investing horizon. To make sure Caterpillar is not overpriced, please confirm all Caterpillar fundamentals, including its cash flow from operations, working capital, and the relationship between the cash per share and number of employees . Given that Caterpillar has a price to earning of 17.15 X, we suggest you to validate Caterpillar market performance and probability of bankruptcy to ensure the company can sustain itself in the current economic cycle given your prevailing risk tolerance and investing horizon.

Market Performance

OKDetails

Volatility

Very steadyDetails

Hype Condition

Low keyDetails

Current Valuation

OvervaluedDetails

Odds Of Distress

Very SmallDetails

Economic Sensitivity

Actively responds to the marketDetails

Investor Sentiment

AlarmedDetails

Analyst Consensus

BuyDetails

Financial Strenth (F Score)

StrongDetails

Financial Leverage

Not RatedDetails

Reporting Quality (M-Score)

Unlikely ManipulatorDetails

Examine Caterpillar Stock

Researching Caterpillar's stock involves analyzing various aspects of the company and its industry to make an informed investment decision. The key areas to focus on are fundamentals, business model and competitive advantage. It is also important to analyze trends in revenue, net income, and cash flow, as well as key financial ratios, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and debt-to-equity (D/E). About 72.0% of the company shares are held by institutions such as insurance companies. The company has Price/Earnings To Growth (PEG) ratio of 2.77. Caterpillar recorded earning per share (EPS) of 21.53. The entity last dividend was issued on the 21st of October 2024. The firm had 2:1 split on the 14th of July 2005.
To determine if Caterpillar is a good investment, evaluating the company's potential for future growth is also very important. This may include expanding into new markets, launching new products or services, or improving operational efficiency. Companies with strong growth prospects can be more attractive investments. This aspect of the research should be conducted in the context of the overall market and industry in which the company operates and should include an analysis of growth potential, competitive landscape, and any regulatory or economic factors that could impact the business. Some of the essential points regarding Caterpillar's research are outlined below:
Caterpillar is unlikely to experience financial distress in the next 2 years
Caterpillar has a strong financial position based on the latest SEC filings
About 72.0% of the company shares are held by institutions such as insurance companies
On 20th of November 2024 Caterpillar paid $ 1.41 per share dividend to its current shareholders
Latest headline from investing.com: Caterpillar CFO Andrew Bonfield sells 4.05m in stock

Caterpillar Quarterly Liabilities And Stockholders Equity

86.27 Billion

Caterpillar uses earnings reports to provide investors with an update of all three financial statements, including the income statement, the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement. Therefore, it is also crucial when considering investing in Caterpillar. Every quarterly earnings report provides investors with an overview of sales, expenses, and net income for the most recent period. It also may provide a comparison to Caterpillar's previous reporting period. The quarterly earnings reports are usually disseminated to the public via Form 10-Q, which is a legal document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission every quarter.
25th of April 2024
Upcoming Quarterly Report
View
6th of August 2024
Next Financial Report
View
31st of March 2024
Next Fiscal Quarter End
View
3rd of February 2025
Next Fiscal Year End
View
31st of December 2023
Last Quarter Report
View
31st of December 2023
Last Financial Announcement
View
Earnings surprises can significantly impact Caterpillar's stock price both in the short term and over time. Negative earnings surprises usually result in a price decline. However, it has been seen that positive earnings surprises lead to an immediate rise in a stock's price and a gradual increase over time. This is why we often hear news about some companies beating earning projections. Financial analysts spend a large amount of time predicting earnings per share (EPS) along with other important future indicators. Many analysts use forecasting models, management guidance, and additional fundamental information to derive an EPS estimate. Below are the table of largest EPS Surprises Caterpillar's investors have experienced.
Reported
Fiscal Date
Estimated EPS
Reported EPS
Surprise
2002-10-16
2002-09-300.280.310.0310 
2001-07-17
2001-06-300.350.390.0411 
2001-01-18
2000-12-310.330.380.0515 
1996-10-15
1996-09-300.350.40.0514 
2003-10-16
2003-09-300.370.31-0.0616 
2003-04-16
2003-03-310.130.190.0646 
1997-10-15
1997-09-300.460.520.0613 
2002-07-16
2002-06-300.360.29-0.0719 

Know Caterpillar's Top Institutional Investors

Have you ever been surprised when a price of an equity instrument such as Caterpillar is soaring high without any particular reason? This is usually happening because many institutional investors are aggressively trading Caterpillar backward and forwards among themselves. Caterpillar's institutional investor refers to the entity that pools money to purchase Caterpillar's securities or originate loans. Institutional investors include commercial and private banks, credit unions, insurance companies, pension funds, hedge funds, endowments, and mutual funds. Operating companies that invest excess capital in these types of assets may also be included in the term and may influence corporate governance by exercising voting rights in their investments.
Shares
Fmr Inc2024-09-30
4.9 M
Bank Of America Corp2024-06-30
4.8 M
Legal & General Group Plc2024-06-30
3.9 M
Ubs Asset Mgmt Americas Inc2024-09-30
3.6 M
Goldman Sachs Group Inc2024-06-30
3.5 M
Bank Of New York Mellon Corp2024-06-30
3.4 M
Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc2024-09-30
3.2 M
Amvescap Plc.2024-06-30
3.2 M
Dimensional Fund Advisors, Inc.2024-09-30
3.1 M
Vanguard Group Inc2024-09-30
46.5 M
State Street Corp2024-06-30
36.6 M
Note, although Caterpillar's institutional investors appear to be way more sophisticated than retail investors, it remains unclear if professional active investment managers can reliably enhance risk-adjusted returns by an amount that exceeds fees and expenses.

Caterpillar's market capitalization trends

The company currently falls under 'Mega-Cap' category with a total capitalization of 196.9 B.

Market Cap

15.49 Billion

Caterpillar's profitablity analysis

Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Return On Tangible Assets 0.13  0.13 
Return On Capital Employed 0.25  0.26 
Return On Assets 0.12  0.12 
Return On Equity 0.53  0.56 
The company has Net Profit Margin of 0.16 %, which implies that it may need a different competitive strategy as even a very small decline in it revenue may erase profits and result in a net loss. This is way below average. In the same way, it shows Net Operating Margin of 0.2 %, which entails that for every 100 dollars of revenue, it generated $0.2 of operating income.
Determining Caterpillar's profitability involves analyzing its financial statements and using various financial metrics to determine if Caterpillar is a good buy. For example, gross profit margin measures Caterpillar's profitability after accounting for the cost of goods sold, while net profit margin measures profitability after accounting for all expenses. Other important metrics include return on assets, return on equity, and free cash flow. By reviewing multiple sources and metrics, you can gain a complete picture of Caterpillar's profitability and make more informed investment decisions.

Caterpillar's Earnings Breakdown by Geography

Please note, the imprecision that can be found in Caterpillar's accounting process means that the reasonable investor should take a skeptical approach toward the financial statement analysis of Caterpillar. Check Caterpillar's Beneish M Score to see the likelihood of Caterpillar's management manipulating its earnings.

Evaluate Caterpillar's management efficiency

Caterpillar has Return on Asset of 0.0993 % which means that on every $100 spent on assets, it made $0.0993 of profit. This is way below average. In the same way, it shows a return on shareholders' equity (ROE) of 0.5348 %, implying that it generated $0.5348 on every 100 dollars invested. Caterpillar's management efficiency ratios could be used to measure how well Caterpillar manages its routine affairs as well as how well it operates its assets and liabilities. Return On Tangible Assets is likely to gain to 0.13 in 2024. Return On Capital Employed is likely to gain to 0.26 in 2024. At this time, Caterpillar's Non Current Liabilities Other is comparatively stable compared to the past year. Change To Liabilities is likely to gain to about 426.2 M in 2024, whereas Total Current Liabilities is likely to drop slightly above 17.8 B in 2024.
Last ReportedProjected for Next Year
Book Value Per Share 38.20  40.11 
Tangible Book Value Per Share 26.70  28.03 
Enterprise Value Over EBITDA 11.62  9.12 
Price Book Value Ratio 7.74  8.13 
Enterprise Value Multiple 11.62  9.12 
Price Fair Value 7.74  8.13 
Enterprise Value28 B29.4 B
Evaluating the management effectiveness of Caterpillar allows investors to assess its financial health and operational efficiency. Coupled with an analysis of its growth prospects and the current market dynamics, we evaluate the stock's true value and future potential. Key indicators such as revenue, earnings or debt levels are examined alongside external factors like economic trends and regulatory changes. The Caterpillar Stock analysis seeks to determine whether the stock is undervalued, appropriately priced, or overvalued, thereby guiding your investment decisions.
Dividend Yield
0.0138
Forward Dividend Yield
0.0138
Forward Dividend Rate
5.64
Beta
1.095

Basic technical analysis of Caterpillar Stock

As of the 28th of November, Caterpillar shows the Downside Deviation of 1.64, mean deviation of 1.32, and Risk Adjusted Performance of 0.1053. Caterpillar technical analysis gives you the methodology to make use of historical prices and volume patterns to determine a pattern that approximates the direction of the firm's future prices.

Caterpillar's insider trading activities

Some recent studies suggest that insider trading raises the cost of capital for securities issuers and decreases overall economic growth. Trading by specific Caterpillar insiders, such as employees or executives, is commonly permitted as long as it does not rely on Caterpillar's material information that is not in the public domain. Local jurisdictions usually require such trading to be reported in order to monitor insider transactions. In many U.S. states, trading conducted by corporate officers, key employees, directors, or significant shareholders must be reported to the regulator or publicly disclosed, usually within a few business days of the trade. In these cases Caterpillar insiders are required to file a Form 4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) when buying or selling shares of their own companies.

Caterpillar's Outstanding Corporate Bonds

Caterpillar issues bonds to finance its operations. Corporate bonds make up one of the largest components of the U.S. bond market, which is considered the world's largest securities market. Caterpillar uses the proceeds from bond sales for a wide variety of purposes, including financing ongoing mergers and acquisitions, buying new equipment, investing in research and development, buying back their own stock, paying dividends to shareholders, and even refinancing existing debt. Most Caterpillar bonds can be classified according to their maturity, which is the date when Caterpillar has to pay back the principal to investors. Maturities can be short-term, medium-term, or long-term (more than ten years). Longer-term bonds usually offer higher interest rates but may entail additional risks.

Understand Caterpillar's technical and predictive indicators

Using predictive indicators to make investment decisions involves analyzing Caterpillar's various financial and market-based factors to help forecast future trends and identify investment opportunities. Select the indicators that are most relevant to your investment strategy. Each indicator has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's essential to combine multiple indicators to get a more comprehensive view of the market and reduce the risk of making poor decisions based on limited data.

Consider Caterpillar's intraday indicators

Caterpillar intraday indicators are useful technical analysis tools used by many experienced traders. Just like the conventional technical analysis, daily indicators help intraday investors to analyze the price movement with the timing of Caterpillar stock daily movement. By combining multiple daily indicators into a single trading strategy, you can limit your risk while still earning strong returns on your managed positions.

Caterpillar Corporate Filings

F4
26th of November 2024
The report filed by a party regarding the acquisition or disposition of a company's common stock, as well as derivative securities such as options, warrants, and convertible securities
ViewVerify
13A
13th of November 2024
An amended filing to the original Schedule 13G
ViewVerify
F3
7th of November 2024
The report used by insiders such as officers, directors, and major shareholders (beneficial owners holding more than 10% of any class of the company's equity securities) to declare their ownership of a company's stock
ViewVerify
10Q
6th of November 2024
Quarterly performance report mandated by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to be filed by publicly traded corporations
ViewVerify
Caterpillar time-series forecasting models is one of many Caterpillar's stock analysis techniques aimed to predict future share value based on previously observed values. Time-series forecasting models ae widely used for non-stationary data. Non-stationary data are called the data whose statistical properties e.g. the mean and standard deviation are not constant over time but instead, these metrics vary over time. These non-stationary Caterpillar's historical data is usually called time-series. Some empirical experimentation suggests that the statistical forecasting models outperform the models based exclusively on fundamental analysis to predict the direction of the market movement and maximize returns from investment trading.

Caterpillar Stock media impact

Far too much social signal, news, headlines, and media speculation about Caterpillar that are available to investors today. That information is available publicly through Caterpillar media outlets and privately through word of mouth or via Caterpillar internal channels. However, regardless of the origin, that massive amount of Caterpillar data is challenging to quantify into actionable patterns, especially for investors that are not very sophisticated with ever-evolving tools and techniques used in the investment management field.
A primary focus of Caterpillar news analysis is to determine if its current price reflects all relevant headlines and social signals impacting the current market conditions. A news analyst typically looks at the history of Caterpillar relative headlines and hype rather than examining external drivers such as technical or fundamental data. It is believed that price action tends to repeat itself due to investors' collective, patterned thinking related to Caterpillar's headlines and news coverage data. This data is often completely overlooked or insufficiently analyzed for actionable insights to drive Caterpillar alpha.

Caterpillar Sentiment by Major News Outlets

Investor sentiment, mood or attitude towards Caterpillar can have a significant impact on its stock price or the market as a whole. This sentiment can be positive or negative, and various factors, such as economic indicators, news events, or market trends, can influence it. When investor sentiment is positive, investors are more likely to buy stocks, increasing demand and increasing the stock price. Positive investor sentiment can be driven by good news about the company or the broader market, such as solid earnings reports or positive economic data.
Note that negative investor sentiment can cause investors to sell stocks, leading to a decrease in demand and a drop in the stock price. Negative sentiment can be driven by factors such as poor earnings reports, negative news about the company or industry, or broader economic concerns. It's important to note that investor sentiment is just one of many factors that can affect stock prices. Other factors, such as company performance, industry trends, and global economic conditions, can also play a significant role in determining the value of a stock.

Caterpillar Historical Investor Sentiment

Investor biases related to Caterpillar's public news can be used to forecast risks associated with an investment in Caterpillar. The trend in average sentiment can be used to explain how an investor holding Caterpillar can time the market purely based on public headlines and social activities around Caterpillar. Please note that most equities that are difficult to arbitrage are affected by market sentiment the most.
Caterpillar's market sentiment shows the aggregated news analyzed to detect positive and negative mentions from the text and comments. The data is normalized to provide daily scores for Caterpillar and other traded tickers. The bigger the bubble, the more accurate the estimated score. Higher bars for a given day show more participation in the average Caterpillar news discussions. The higher the estimate score, the more favorable the investor's outlook on Caterpillar.

Caterpillar Corporate Directors

Edward RustIndependent DirectorProfile
Debra ReedKlagesIndependent DirectorProfile
Juan GallardoIndependent DirectorProfile
Rayford WilkinsIndependent DirectorProfile

Additional Tools for Caterpillar Stock Analysis

When running Caterpillar's price analysis, check to measure Caterpillar's market volatility, profitability, liquidity, solvency, efficiency, growth potential, financial leverage, and other vital indicators. We have many different tools that can be utilized to determine how healthy Caterpillar is operating at the current time. Most of Caterpillar's value examination focuses on studying past and present price action to predict the probability of Caterpillar's future price movements. You can analyze the entity against its peers and the financial market as a whole to determine factors that move Caterpillar's price. Additionally, you may evaluate how the addition of Caterpillar to your portfolios can decrease your overall portfolio volatility.