Cadinha & Co. LLC Sells 30,480 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Cadinha & Co. LLC sold 30,480 shares of Caterpillar, reducing its stake by 54.8% to 25,137 shares worth about $14.4 million (2.2% of its portfolio).
• Insider selling has been significant: Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares for roughly $26.66 million, and insiders have offloaded 125,950 shares worth $88.58 million in the past 90 days, leaving insiders with just 0.33% ownership.
• Despite the selling, institutional buying and analyst optimism persist — major funds boosted positions, Caterpillar beat quarterly estimates (EPS $5.16 vs. $4.67; revenue $19.13B vs. $17.81B), and the stock holds an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $767.77.

Cadinha & Co. LLC reduced its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 54.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 25,137 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 30,480 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up 2.2% of Cadinha & Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Cadinha & Co. LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $14,400,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew 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 worth $2,494,568,000 after buying an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1,851.8% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,830,414 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $873,382,000 after buying an additional 1,736,631 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,553,930 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,695,757,000 after buying an additional 609,023 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 24.3% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,375,710 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,176,870,000 after buying an additional 464,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $252,204,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total transaction of $1,797,325.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 35,083 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $25,222,221.19. This represents a 6.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its price target to $940 and kept an "outperform" rating, giving an explicit upside thesis that likely supported buying interest. Baird Adjusts Price Target on Caterpillar
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage framing Caterpillar as an unexpected AI/data-center and automation play is boosting the growth narrative beyond traditional construction/machinery demand. That thematic re-rating is supporting higher multiples. More Than Just Dirt: Caterpillar Is the AI Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst notes and outlets reiterate expectation for continued earnings growth and a likely beat in upcoming results, reinforcing investor confidence in near-term fundamentals. Caterpillar Earnings Expected to Grow
• Positive Sentiment: Broker and analyst optimism beyond one note: other outlets discuss bullish price targets and forecasts (speculative $1,000 scenarios), adding momentum from retail and momentum-focused funds. Is Caterpillar Stock Headed for $1,000?
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar reiterated its dividend and named a longtime executive as CFO — actions that reduce governance uncertainty and support shareholder-value narratives. Caterpillar Names New CFO
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley nudged its price target to $430 but maintained an Underweight rating and flagged macro risks to earnings — a mixed signal that tempers some of the bullish momentum. Morgan Stanley Ups Caterpillar Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Market write-ups noting the recent intraday/short-term moves and questioning whether it's "too late" highlight valuation and momentum risk—important context for risk-aware investors. Caterpillar Stock Moves
• Negative Sentiment: Critical pieces outline reasons to avoid CAT after a big run (valuation, mean-reversion risk, and concentrated upside already priced in), which could pressure sentiment if investors rotate out. 3 Reasons to Avoid CAT

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on CAT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $870.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $805.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $786.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $767.77.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $835.53 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $297.07 and a 12 month high of $845.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $739.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $643.21. The stock has a market cap of $388.76 billion, a PE ratio of 44.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.52.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released 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. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.14 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 32.09%.

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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