Smith Salley Wealth Management Acquires 2,204 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 16.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,263 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,204 shares during the quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $7,283,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,418,321 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,656,286,000 after acquiring an additional 208,196 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 36,842.1% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,299,751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,833,836,000 after purchasing an additional 7,279,991 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at about $2,165,899,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,204,445 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,386,626,000 after buying an additional 264,054 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,337,915 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,295,432,000 after buying an additional 33,467 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on CAT. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $485.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $380.00 to $395.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. HSBC upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $405.00 to $660.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $730.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $616.00.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $577.64 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $570.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $481.44. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $627.50. The firm has a market cap of $270.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The industrial products company reported $4.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. The business had revenue of $17.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.17 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 31.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 8,184 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.18, for a total transaction of $4,666,353.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 41,512 shares in the company, valued at $23,669,312.16. The trade was a 16.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 14,638 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $562.36, for a total transaction of $8,231,825.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 80,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,106,333.24. This trade represents a 15.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 61,895 shares of company stock worth $34,007,516 over the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets report that surging demand for generators — especially for data centers and AI infrastructure — is driving a meaningful uptick in Caterpillar’s non-construction sales and boosting investor expectations for revenue and margin expansion. Caterpillar’s stock jumps as AI drives demand for generators
• Positive Sentiment: WSJ coverage highlights that generator sales are the company’s fastest?growing segment, helping re-shape Caterpillar’s growth story beyond traditional yellow equipment and supporting a higher multiple. Caterpillar’s Surging Stock Is Fueled by AI, Not Yellow Excavators
• Positive Sentiment: Pymnts reports that data?center generator demand in particular is fueling a sales surge, suggesting a durable revenue stream tied to long?term AI infrastructure buildout rather than a one?off cyclical bump. Caterpillar’s Data Center Generators Fuel Sale Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Market recognition: coverage and an on?camera analyst segment note that Caterpillar has become the Dow’s best performer this year, reflecting the market re?rating the stock for faster growth expectations. Caterpillar becomes the Dow’s best performer this year
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan equity research commentary (video interview) underscores investor interest and analyst attention as the company transitions into a growth narrative — supportive for sentiment and liquidity. Caterpillar becomes the Dow’s best performer this year (video)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights Caterpillar as a potential beneficiary of reshoring trends, which could support equipment demand in 2026 and beyond. 3 Manufacturing Stocks to Benefit From Reshoring in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Product update: Caterpillar introduced a Track Clamp Master Link to simplify excavator track installation — incremental operational/aftermarket improvement but limited near?term impact on top?line. Cat’s New Track Clamp Master Link Eases Excavator Track Installation
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate milestone: coverage of Caterpillar’s 100?year anniversary is positive PR but unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Celebrating 100 years and the people behind Caterpillar machines
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation caution: analysis pieces ask whether it’s too late to buy after a >100% rally, flagging elevated multiples and the risk that much of the AI/data?center opportunity is already priced in — a key reason for profit?taking or short?term weakness. Is it too late to buy Caterpillar after its bullish 2025 run?

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off?highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.