Caterpillar (CAT) closed the most recent trading day at $582.41, moving +1.07% from the previous trading session. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.64%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.47%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.52%.
Shares of the construction equipment company witnessed a gain of 4.69% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Industrial Products sector with its gain of 3.86%, and the S&P 500's gain of 3%.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Caterpillar in its upcoming release. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $4.54, showcasing a 11.67% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $17.84 billion, indicating a 10% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $18.42 per share and revenue of $66.06 billion, which would represent changes of -15.89% and +1.93%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Caterpillar. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.
Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.12% increase. Right now, Caterpillar possesses a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
In the context of valuation, Caterpillar is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 31.28. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 13.91.
It's also important to note that CAT currently trades at a PEG ratio of 2.71. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The Manufacturing - Construction and Mining was holding an average PEG ratio of 3.7 at yesterday's closing price.
The Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry is part of the Industrial Products sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 99, putting it in the top 41% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
