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Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Get Rating) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $231.00.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Cowen dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $161.00 to $142.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 18th. Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $278.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 20th. Citigroup cut their price target on Caterpillar from $225.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Caterpillar from $240.00 to $227.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 13th.Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $219.82 per share, with a total value of $131,892.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $545,153.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $219.82 per share, with a total value of $131,892.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $545,153.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Joseph E. Creed sold 2,757 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.13, for a total value of $590,356.41. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 322.6% in the fourth quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 131 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Nauset Wealth Management. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Investors Research Corp purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Sierra Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.44% of the company's stock. Caterpillar Trading Down 1.3 %

CAT opened at $178.62 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $196.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.46. The company has a market capitalization of $95.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.00. Caterpillar has a 52 week low of $167.08 and a 52 week high of $237.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.66 by $0.22. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 35.10% and a net margin of 12.33%. The business had revenue of $13.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.49 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.87 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 12.62 earnings per share for the current year. Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 20th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.11. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 19th. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.23%. Caterpillar Company Profile (Get Rating)

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, backhoe loaders, compactors, cold planers, compact track and multi-terrain loaders, excavators, motorgraders, pipelayers, road reclaimers, site prep tractors, skid steer loaders, telehandlers, and utility vehicles; mini, small, medium, and large excavators; compact, small, and medium wheel loaders; track-type tractors and loaders; and wheel excavators.Further ReadingGet a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Caterpillar (CAT)Three Watchlist Stocks to Capitalize on Sector RotationMarketBeat: Week in Review 7/18 – 7/22Falling Copper Prices Weigh On Freeport McMoran's Earnings, But Long Term Fundamentals IntactVerizon Shares Drop On Earnings Miss, Lower GuidanceSnap Stock Falters As Growth Slows To Record Low

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