Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE cut its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 506,048 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 12,529 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $241,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,238,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 30.2% in the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 336 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 79.8% in the third quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC now owns 2,670 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,274,000 after buying an additional 1,185 shares in the last quarter. GGM Financials LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, RWA Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 107,770 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $51,423,000 after acquiring an additional 18,591 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $766.15 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $660.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $559.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $356.48 billion, a PE ratio of 40.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $789.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The company’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.14 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th were issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 32.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $710.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Argus raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, February 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $712.52.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total value of $16,314,812.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 41,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. This trade represents a 20.59% 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 143,450 shares of company stock worth $98,245,065 in the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street lifts targets — Wells Fargo raised its CAT price target to $870 (overweight) and Daiwa boosted its target to $790, signaling stronger analyst conviction that Caterpillar can capture continued demand. Wells Fargo price target rise Daiwa price target rise
• Positive Sentiment: AI/data?center capex tailwind — Strategists are positioning CAT as a “HALO” (Hard Asset, Low Obsolescence) play to benefit from $+600B of data center and AI buildout: demand for heavy equipment to construct large facilities supports longer-term machinery orders. Strategist sees Deere, Caterpillar as low-volatility AI plays
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic venture investing — Caterpillar Venture Capital backed ElevenEs’ Series B first closing, reflecting CAT’s push into adjacent tech/commodity-trading solutions that could broaden revenue streams over time. ElevenEs Series B closing backed by Caterpillar Venture Capital
• Positive Sentiment: Buildout of services and software — Caterpillar acquired RPMGlobal (mining software) and is rolling out a redesigned rental management experience, both moves that expand higher?margin, recurring services and digital offerings. Caterpillar Acquired RPMGlobal Caterpillar to launch redesigned rental management experience
• Neutral Sentiment: PR and workforce focus — Caterpillar hosted its Global Technician Finals in Peoria (skills/brand positive but limited direct EPS impact). Caterpillar hosts its Global Technician Finals in Peoria
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative industry coverage — Pieces contrasting Caterpillar and Deere highlight divergent earnings narratives; useful context for relative positioning but not an immediate catalyst. Caterpillar vs Deere article
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and option activity — Director/officer Rodney Shurman disclosed sales (and option exercises reported separately), reducing his stake materially; investors often view repeated insider sales as a modest near?term negative. Rodney Michael Shurman insider sale Insider exercises options
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jump — Short interest rose ~61% in February to ~10M shares (2.2% of float). While still a small share of float, the spike increases volatility and could weigh on near?term sentiment. (Data source: short interest release)

About Caterpillar

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.