Caterpillar Unusual Options Activity

Whales with a lot of money to spend have taken a noticeably bullish stance on Caterpillar.

Looking at options history for Caterpillar CAT we detected 16 trades.

If we consider the specifics of each trade, it is accurate to state that 68% of the investors opened trades with bullish expectations and 31% with bearish.

From the overall spotted trades, 7 are puts, for a total amount of $358,448 and 9, calls, for a total amount of $672,661.

Projected Price Targets

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $310.0 to $480.0 for Caterpillar over the last 3 months.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Caterpillar stands at 102.6, with a total volume reaching 1,464.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Caterpillar, situated within the strike price corridor from $310.0 to $480.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Caterpillar 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar is the premier manufacturer of heavy equipment, power solutions, and locomotives. It is currently the world's largest manufacturer of heavy equipment with over 13% market share in 2021. The company is divided into four reportable segments: construction industries, resource industries, energy and transportation, and Caterpillar Financial Services. Its products are available through a dealer network that covers the globe with about 2,700 branches maintained by 160 dealers. Caterpillar Financial Services provides retail financing for machinery and engines to its customers, in addition to wholesale financing for dealers, which increases the likelihood of Caterpillar product sales.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding Caterpillar, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

Caterpillar's Current Market Status

• Currently trading with a volume of 665,927, the CAT's price is up by 1.02%, now at $320.38.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 63 days.

What The Experts Say On Caterpillar

5 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $332.4.

• An analyst from Baird has decided to maintain their Underperform rating on Caterpillar, which currently sits at a price target of $257.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Goldman Sachs continues to hold a Buy rating for Caterpillar, targeting a price of $357.
• An analyst from JP Morgan persists with their Overweight rating on Caterpillar, maintaining a target price of $385.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Wells Fargo keeps a Equal-Weight rating on Caterpillar with a target price of $325.
• An analyst from Evercore ISI Group downgraded its action to In-Line with a price target of $338.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.

If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Caterpillar, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.