8,444 Shares in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Purchased by Clear Trail Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Clear Trail Advisors bought a new stake of 8,444 shares in Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) during Q4, valued at about $4.84 million and representing 1.1% of the firm's portfolio (its 25th-largest holding).
• Caterpillar beat quarterly expectations with $5.16 EPS and $19.13B revenue (up 17.9% YoY), triggering multiple analyst price-target increases and a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating with an average target of $730.50.
• Insiders have been net sellers, disposing of 135,950 shares (~$94.33M) in the past three months — including a 7,891-share sale by Anthony D. Fassino — leaving insiders with just 0.33% ownership.

Clear Trail Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,444 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $4,837,000. Caterpillar comprises 1.1% of Clear Trail Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of CAT. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its earnings outlook for Caterpillar, forecasting higher EPS — a direct positive for investor expectations and support for the stock after Caterpillar’s January quarter beat. Zacks Research Forecasts Higher Earnings for Caterpillar
• Positive Sentiment: A Chicago Tribune editorial highlights Hyundai Translead’s large Joliet manufacturing investment and broader regional manufacturing momentum; such industrial investments can indirectly lift demand for heavy equipment, parts and services that benefit suppliers like CAT. Editorial: Gov. JB Pritzker gets a big win with Hyundai Translead’s splashy Joliet investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Human-interest coverage referencing “caterpillars” as food for songbirds — not related to Caterpillar Inc.’s business; minimal investor impact. ‘The great munching’: Caterpillars’ gluttony means food for baby songbirds
• Neutral Sentiment: Feature on interactive machines at an Illinois museum — raises local brand visibility but has little bearing on fundamentals. The Massive Interactive Machines At This Illinois Museum Will Blow You Away
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece warns that while data‑center demand tailwinds for Caterpillar are real, current valuation appears to price in aggressive growth that may be unrealistic — a caution for multiple expansion and a potential cap on further upside if growth slows. Caterpillar: Data Center Tailwinds Are Real, But Valuation Assumes Unrealistic Growth

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total transaction of $6,130,517.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 46,643 shares of the company's stock, valued at $36,236,946.70. This trade represents a 14.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 972 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $764.20, for a total value of $742,802.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 824 shares in the company, valued at $629,700.80. The trade was a 54.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 135,950 shares of company stock valued at $94,327,990. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $701.38 on Tuesday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $703.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $597.63. The firm has a market cap of $326.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.27, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $789.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.14 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on CAT. Bank of America raised their price target on Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $785.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Argus raised their target price on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $760.00 to $785.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $730.50.

Caterpillar Company 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.

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