Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) shares traded higher on Tuesday after several analysts lifted their price forecasts following a strong earnings report released late January.
Truist Securities analyst Jamie Cook reiterated a Buy rating and raised the price target. Cook lifted her forecast to $786 from $729.
DA Davidson analyst Michael Shlisky also updated his outlook. Shlisky maintained a Neutral rating and raised his forecast to $650 from $569.
Quarterly Results Surprise To Upside
On Jan. 29, Caterpillar released fourth-quarter 2025 financial results.
The company posted sales and revenue of $19.133 billion, rising from the year-earlier period. Management attributed the increase primarily to higher average earning assets.
That benefit was partly offset by lower average financing rates during the quarter. Adjusted earnings reached $5.16 per share, beating analyst expectations.
Revenue also exceeded Wall Street projections for the quarter. Enterprise operating cash flow totaled $11.7 billion for the year.
Cash Position And Capital Returns
Caterpillar finished 2025 with $10.0 billion in enterprise cash. Cash and equivalents stood at $9.98 billion as of Dec. 31.
The company returned capital aggressively during the year.
Management deployed $5.2 billion toward share repurchases. Caterpillar also paid $2.7 billion in dividends.
CAT Price Action: Caterpillar shares were up 2.58% at $708.73 at the time of publication on Tuesday. The stock is trading at a new 52-week high, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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