Banco Santander S.A. Grows Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. increased its Caterpillar stake by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 103,741 shares valued at about $59.4 million.
• Caterpillar reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $5.54 and revenue of $17.42 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations. Revenue rose 22.2% year over year, and the company also raised its quarterly dividend by 8% to $1.63 per share.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with multiple firms lifting price targets and the consensus rating at Moderate Buy. The average price target cited was $933.27, close to the stock’s recent trading level.

Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 103,741 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 6,082 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $59,430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,228,058 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,494,568,000 after purchasing an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $1,225,317,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 573.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $861,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,087 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 24.3% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,375,710 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,176,870,000 after purchasing an additional 464,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,385,185 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,572,681,000 after purchasing an additional 442,164 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar raised its quarterly dividend by 8% to $1.63 per share, extending its dividend-growth streak to 32 consecutive years and signaling confidence in cash generation and future returns to shareholders.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group lifted FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Caterpillar, reflecting expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar was highlighted on Zacks’ “best momentum stocks” list, which can reinforce bullish trader interest and momentum buying.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent bullish commentary pointed to strong Q1 results, including 22% revenue growth and a backlog of $62.7 billion, suggesting healthy demand across Caterpillar’s core markets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar and Austal announced a global value agreement, but the available details do not clearly indicate a material near-term financial impact for CAT. Austal and Caterpillar in Global Value Agreement
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary warned that Caterpillar’s recent run-up leaves the stock vulnerable to a reversal on valuation concerns after a sharp move higher.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also recently pulled back from its year-to-date high, with technical traders citing a possible double-top pattern, which may be limiting near-term upside.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on CAT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $960.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wolfe Research upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Argus upped 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $900.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $933.27.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.5%

Caterpillar stock opened at $910.78 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $851.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $726.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $419.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $355.70 and a one year high of $946.83.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The business had revenue of $17.42 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total value of $14,399,860.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares in the company, valued at $48,631,913.85. This represents a 22.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,210,388.80. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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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