2,009 Shares in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Acquired by Claris Financial LLC

Key Points

• Claris Financial LLC opened a new position in Caterpillar, buying 2,009 shares in the fourth quarter valued at about $1.15 million.
• Caterpillar continues to draw heavy institutional interest, with about 70.98% of the stock held by institutions, while some insiders recently sold shares, including CEO-side executive and CFO transactions totaling tens of millions of dollars.
• The company posted strong quarterly results and raised its dividend: Caterpillar beat earnings and revenue estimates, increased revenue 22.2% year over year, and lifted its quarterly dividend to $1.63 per share.

Claris Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,009 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,151,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,228,058 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,494,568,000 after purchasing an additional 5,098,964 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $1,225,317,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 573.1% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $861,947,000 after buying an additional 1,281,087 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Caterpillar by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,738,802 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,860,457,000 after acquiring an additional 928,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 8,359.6% in the fourth quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 513,754 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $294,314,000 after acquiring an additional 507,681 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 86,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total transaction of $14,399,860.54. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,631,913.85. The trade was a 22.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Caterpillar to $1,165 from $1,125 and reiterated an overweight rating, reinforcing a bullish analyst outlook for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts currently view Caterpillar as a “Moderate Buy,” suggesting Wall Street remains constructive on the company’s earnings and growth prospects.
• Positive Sentiment: Several writeups highlight Caterpillar as a blue-chip name benefiting from strong market momentum, with the stock featured among top industrial and Dow stocks to watch.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest is also being supported by Caterpillar’s recent dividend hike, which signals confidence in cash flow and capital returns.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around Caterpillar’s growing power generation business and its exposure to AI data-center infrastructure is improving the long-term growth story. Article: Caterpillar (CAT) Is Recasting Its Growth Story With A $63 Billion AI Backlog
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles are simply repeating recent market strength and record-high Dow leadership, which supports sentiment but does not add new company-specific information.
• Negative Sentiment: One article references a legal/political dispute over the SEC’s Consolidated Audit Trail, but this appears to concern the CAT data system rather than Caterpillar Inc., so it is not a meaningful fundamental driver for the stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on CAT. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $1,043.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $935.09.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $987.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $454.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock's 50-day moving average is $870.74 and its 200-day moving average is $738.63. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $357.73 and a 1-year high of $994.49.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The business had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.25 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

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.

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