The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.
Key takeaways
- Choose a trading platform that offers access to US markets with low brokerage and FX fees to get the best value when buying Caterpillar shares.
- Research Caterpillar’s performance and financial health before investing and use limit orders or dollar-cost averaging to manage your entry price.
- Track your investment regularly and check if your broker offers dividends or fractional shares to maximise your potential returns.
Caterpillar Inc is a farm & heavy construction machinery business with stocks listed in the US. Caterpillar shares (CAT) are listed on the NYSE and all prices are listed in US Dollars. Its last market close was US$680.88 – a decrease of 2.7% over the previous week. Here's how to invest if you're based in Australia.
How to buy shares in Caterpillar
- Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a company listed in the US from Australia you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to US stock markets. Look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
- Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, which will typically include your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
- Search for Caterpillar. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: CAT. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment that matches your financial goals.
- Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until Caterpillar reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying using consistent intervals and amounts.
- Decide on how many to buy. At last close price of US$680.88, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of Caterpillar, depending on your broker.
- Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of Caterpillar. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights.
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Have Caterpillar's shares ever split?
Caterpillar's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 13 July 2005. So if you had owned 1 share the day before the split, the next day you would own 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Caterpillar shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Caterpillar shares which in turn could have impacted Caterpillar's share price.
Caterpillar shares at a glance
Information last updated 2026-03-18.
| 52-week range | US$263.6295 - US$789.81 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | US$695.068 |
| 200-day moving average | US$530.5535 |
| Target price | US$736.2139 |
| PE ratio | 36.8947 |
| Dividend yield | US$5.94 (0.85%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | US$18.8 |
Use the fields above to explore the returns from a historical investment. Please refer to the charts further up this page to see performance over 5 years, or other periods. Past performance doesn't indicate future results. Capital is at risk.
Caterpillar price performance over time
Historical closes compared with the last close of $680.88
| 1 week (2026-03-17) | -3.01% |
|---|---|
| 1 month (2026-02-24) | -11.37% |
| 3 months (2025-12-24) | 16.64% |
| 6 months (2025-09-24) | 44.93% |
| 1 year (2025-03-24) | 99.28% |
|---|---|
| 2 years (2024-03-22) | 90.13% |
| 3 years (2023-03-24) | 213.76% |
| 5 years (2021-03-24) | 207.77% |
Is it a good time to buy Caterpillar stock?
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. However, this is not a recommendation. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Is it worth buying Caterpillar stock?
Valuing Caterpillar stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Caterpillar's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
Caterpillar's P/E ratio
Caterpillar's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 37x. In other words, Caterpillar shares trade at around 37x recent earnings.
That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.
Caterpillar's PEG ratio
Caterpillar's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 1.9284. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Caterpillar's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
Caterpillar's EBITDA
Caterpillar's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$14 billion (£10.5 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a Caterpillar's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure stock profitability.
Caterpillar share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, Caterpillar's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$263.6295 up to US$789.81. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta measures a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while Caterpillar's is 1.531. This would suggest that Caterpillar's shares are more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively speaking, a higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).
Caterpillar financials
| Revenue TTM | US$67.6 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 16.03% |
| Gross profit TTM | US$19.5 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 7.89% |
| Return on equity TTM | 43.53% |
| Profit margin | 13.14% |
| Book value | 45.817 |
| Market capitalisation | US$324.6 billion |
| EBITDA | US$14 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
Caterpillar share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 31.13% of net profits
Recently Caterpillar has paid out, on average, around 31.13% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0.87% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Caterpillar shareholders could enjoy a 0.87% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Caterpillar's case, that would currently equate to about $5.94 per share.
While Caterpillar's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Caterpillar may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
Caterpillar's most recent dividend payout was on 18 February 2026. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 19 January 2026 (the "ex-dividend date").
Caterpillar's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Caterpillar.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
Caterpillar's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 40.85
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Caterpillar's overall score of 40.85 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 86th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Caterpillar is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
Caterpillar's environmental score
Environmental score: 13.72/100
Caterpillar's environmental score of 13.72 puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Caterpillar is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Caterpillar's social score
Social score: 21.74/100
Caterpillar's social score of 21.74 puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Caterpillar is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
Caterpillar's governance score
Governance score: 8.39/100
Caterpillar's governance score puts it squarely in the 4th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Caterpillar is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Caterpillar's controversy score
Controversy score: 4/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Caterpillar scored a 4 out of 5 for controversy – the second-lowest score possible, reflecting that Caterpillar has a damaged public profile.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
Caterpillar Inc was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.
| Total ESG score | 40.85 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 86.14 |
| Environmental score | 13.72 |
| Environmental score percentile | 4 |
| Social score | 21.74 |
| Social score percentile | 4 |
| Governance score | 8.39 |
| Governance score percentile | 4 |
| Level of controversy | 4 |
Caterpillar overview
Caterpillar Inc. provides construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in the United States and internationally. The Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, cold planers, compactors, forestry machines, material handlers, motor graders, pipelayers, road reclaimers, telehandlers, track-type tractors, and track and wheel excavators; backhoe, compact track, skid steer, track-type, and wheel loaders; and related parts and work tools. Its Resource Industries segment provides electric rope and hydraulic shovels, draglines, rotary drills, hard rock vehicles, mining trucks, wheel loaders, off-highway and articulated trucks, wide-body trucks, wheel tractor scrapers and dozers, and landfill and soil compactors; machinery components, and wear and maintenance components; and technology products and services for fleet management, equipment management analytics, autonomous machine capabilities, safety services, and mining performance solutions. The Energy & Transportation segment offers reciprocating engine powered generator sets; reciprocating engines, drivetrain, and integrated systems and solutions; centrifugal gas compressors and related services; and diesel-electric locomotive components, and other rail-related products. Its Financial Products segment provides operating and finance leases, revolving charge accounts, installment sale contracts, repair/rebuild financing, working capital loans, and wholesale financing; and insurance and risk management products and services. The All Other segment offers parts distribution; logistics and distribution services; electronics and control systems; dealer portfolio management; brand management and marketing strategy; and digital investment services. It also provides mining software solutions. The company was formerly known as Caterpillar Tractor Co. Caterpillar Inc. was incorporated in 1925 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.
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