BCS Wealth Management Purchases 2,032 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• BCS Wealth Management boosted its Caterpillar stake 97.7%, acquiring 2,032 shares to hold 4,112 shares worth about $2.36 million; institutional investors now own roughly 70.98% of the company.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive with an average MarketBeat rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $747.14, as several firms raised targets (HSBC to $850, Daiwa to $790) despite mixed individual ratings.
• Caterpillar reported a strong Q4 beat (EPS $5.16 vs. $4.67 estimate; revenue $19.13B vs. $17.81B), pays a $1.51 quarterly dividend, but insiders have been net sellers recently—125,950 shares (~$88.6M) sold over the last 90 days.

BCS Wealth Management boosted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 97.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,112 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,032 shares during the period. BCS Wealth Management's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% in the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 140.0% in the fourth quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson raised their target price on Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. HSBC raised their target price on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $747.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total value of $1,730,391.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,096,117.23. This trade represents a 61.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 972 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $764.20, for a total value of $742,802.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $629,700.80. This represents a 54.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $794.16 on Wednesday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $730.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $630.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $369.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.52. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $282.46 and a 12 month high of $798.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.Caterpillar's quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.14 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given 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 is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.09%.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management reviewed strong Q4 results on the earnings call and reiterated healthy demand and backlog trends that supported the quarter’s revenue and EPS beat — a key driver for the rally. Caterpillar Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $905 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling sizable analyst upside vs. current levels and likely supporting buying interest. Citigroup Adjusts Price Target on Caterpillar
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Caterpillar as a beneficiary of the AI/data-center build (generator sales surge) and its Nvidia tie-up is boosting the growth narrative and investor enthusiasm. Those thematic stories are helping push the stock into a buy-range for some investors. Is Caterpillar Actually An AI Stock? Caterpillar Excavates Buy Zone
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets point to Caterpillar’s strong earnings-surprise history and have lifted estimates, which supports expectations for another beat and underpins analyst optimism. Investors Heavily Search Caterpillar Inc. Zacks Research Lifts Earnings Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar held its dividend steady for now; analysts note a growing backlog and cash flow that make a hike plausible in the near term but no increase has been announced yet. CAT Holds Dividend Steady For Now
• Neutral Sentiment: High online search and coverage volumes (Zacks/Yahoo) show elevated investor attention — supportive for liquidity and momentum but not a direct fundamental change. Investors Heavily Search Caterpillar Inc.

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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