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Caterpillar (CAT) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

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Caterpillar (CAT - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $341.72, moving -0.82% from the previous trading session. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.5%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.5%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.28%.

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 4.4% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.1%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Caterpillar in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on August 6, 2024. In that report, analysts expect Caterpillar to post earnings of $5.53 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 0.36%. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $16.76 billion, indicating a 3.2% downward movement from the same quarter last year.

In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $21.57 per share and a revenue of $66.5 billion, indicating changes of +1.7% and -0.84%, respectively, from the former year.

Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Caterpillar. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the company's business and profitability.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 1.03% lower. Caterpillar is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In the context of valuation, Caterpillar is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 15.98. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 10.01, which means Caterpillar is trading at a premium to the group.

It is also worth noting that CAT currently has a PEG ratio of 1.79. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. The Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.81 as of yesterday's close.

The Manufacturing - Construction and Mining industry is part of the Industrial Products sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 205, positioning it in the bottom 19% of all 250+ industries.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.


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