Looking At Caterpillar's Recent Unusual Options Activity
Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bullish approach towards Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), and it's something market players shouldn't ignore. Our tracking of public options records at Benzinga unveiled this significant move today. The identity of these investors remains unknown, but such a substantial move in CAT usually suggests something big is about to happen.
We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga's options scanner highlighted 23 extraordinary options activities for Caterpillar. This level of activity is out of the ordinary.
The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 56% leaning bullish and 21% bearish. Among these notable options, 5 are puts, totaling $1,374,670, and 18 are calls, amounting to $1,834,716.
Predicted Price Range
Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $390.0 to $470.0 for Caterpillar over the last 3 months.
Insights into Volume & Open Interest
In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Caterpillar stands at 909.65, with a total volume reaching 13,716.00. 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 $390.0 to $470.0, throughout the last 30 days.
Caterpillar Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days
Noteworthy Options Activity:
| Symbol | PUT/CALL | Trade Type | Sentiment | Exp. Date | Ask | Bid | Price | Strike Price | Total Trade Price | Open Interest | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAT | PUT | SWEEP | BULLISH | 01/16/26 | $18.7 | $17.05 | $17.28 | $400.00 | $856.4K | 826 | 500 |
| CAT | PUT | TRADE | BEARISH | 08/15/25 | $14.3 | $13.9 | $14.18 | $430.00 | $425.4K | 123 | 302 |
| CAT | CALL | SWEEP | BEARISH | 07/25/25 | $10.9 | $9.65 | $9.98 | $415.00 | $328.5K | 4.2K | 3.3K |
| CAT | CALL | TRADE | BULLISH | 01/15/27 | $65.55 | $63.45 | $64.86 | $420.00 | $324.3K | 423 | 50 |
| CAT | CALL | TRADE | NEUTRAL | 01/15/27 | $62.05 | $58.3 | $60.19 | $430.00 | $240.7K | 132 | 40 |
About Caterpillar
Caterpillar is the world's leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. Its reporting segments are: construction industries (40% sales/47% operating profit, or OP), resource industries (20% sales/19% OP), and energy & transportation (40% sales/34% OP). Market share approaches 20% across many products. Caterpillar operates a captive finance subsidiary to facilitate sales. The firm has global reach (46% US sales/54% ex-US). Construction skews more domestic, while the other divisions are more geographically diversified. An independent network of 156 dealers operates approximately 2,800 facilities, giving Caterpillar reach into about 190 countries for sales and support services.
Present Market Standing of Caterpillar
- Trading volume stands at 1,444,182, with CAT's price up by 0.61%, positioned at $419.74.
- RSI indicators show the stock to be may be overbought.
- Earnings announcement expected in 13 days.
Professional Analyst Ratings for Caterpillar
Over the past month, 5 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $433.2.
Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move
Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access.
* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from DA Davidson continues to hold a Neutral rating for Caterpillar, targeting a price of $388.
* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Citigroup continues to hold a Buy rating for Caterpillar, targeting a price of $420.
* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from JP Morgan continues to hold a Overweight rating for Caterpillar, targeting a price of $475.
* In a positive move, an analyst from Melius Research has upgraded their rating to Buy and adjusted the price target to $500.
* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Barclays keeps a Equal-Weight rating on Caterpillar with a target price of $383.
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.
