Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Holdings Boosted by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Key Points

• Heartland Bank & Trust Co increased its Caterpillar stake by 48.7% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 9,252 shares valued at about $6.6 million.
• Wall Street sentiment has turned somewhat more optimistic, with several analysts raising price targets and the consensus rating remaining Moderate Buy with a target of about $980.57.
• Caterpillar reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $5.54 versus estimates of $4.65 and revenue up 22.2% year over year, while also increasing its quarterly dividend to $1.63 per share.

Heartland Bank & Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 48.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,252 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,032 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises 1.5% of Heartland Bank & Trust Co's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Heartland Bank & Trust Co's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,420 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,844,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the period. Juno Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $877,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth about $1,226,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $4,517,000. Finally, Ticino Wealth acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,488,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst updates turned incrementally more optimistic on Caterpillar’s earnings outlook, with Erste Group Bank and Zacks Research lifting FY2026, FY2027, FY2028 and several quarterly EPS estimates. Higher profit expectations can support the stock by reinforcing the view that CAT’s long-term demand and pricing power remain solid.
• Positive Sentiment: Several commentary pieces highlighted Caterpillar as a leading industrial and equipment name versus peers like Volvo, citing stronger earnings momentum, rising estimates, and long-term growth tied to infrastructure, electrification, automation, and AI data-center buildout demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage noted Wall Street is expecting Caterpillar’s upcoming Q2 2026 report to show another double-digit profit increase, which keeps investor attention focused on whether results can justify the stock’s premium valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Caterpillar as a high-quality company with a strong brand and global dealer network, but also warned that the valuation looks rich. That limits near-term upside unless earnings growth continues to outpace expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Caterpillar was also mentioned in broader market weakness and “AI selloff” coverage, and Zacks Research downgraded the stock from strong-buy to hold. That suggests some investors are becoming more cautious after the recent run-up.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $1,165.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $900.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $769.00 to $879.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upped their price target on Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $980.57.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $881.26 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $405.46 and a fifty-two week high of $1,073.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $931.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $793.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $405.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.87, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The company had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.87 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,935 shares in the company, valued at $48,631,913.85. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the sale, the insider owned 86,029 shares in the company, valued at $79,397,884.68. This trade represents a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 in the last quarter. 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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