Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Acquired by Ellenbecker Investment Group

Key Points

• Ellenbecker Investment Group boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 583.9% in Q4 and now owns 5,492 shares valued at $3,147,000, making CAT its 21st largest holding (~0.4% of assets).
• Analysts are mostly positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $767.77, while several firms have recently raised price targets into the ~$790–$832 range.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers, offloading 125,950 shares worth about $88.6M in the past 90 days, leaving insiders with only 0.33% ownership.

Ellenbecker Investment Group increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 583.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,492 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,689 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up about 0.4% of Ellenbecker Investment Group's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Ellenbecker Investment Group's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,147,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on CAT to $960 (from $870) and boosted 2026–2028 EPS forecasts, citing contributions from the Solar Turbines project — a direct analyst upgrade that supports higher fair‑value expectations. Wells Fargo Lifts PT on Caterpillar
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged several quarterly EPS estimates higher (small bumps to Q3/Q4 2026–27 and FY2028), signaling incremental analyst confidence in near‑to‑medium term earnings momentum. Zacks Research EPS revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/structural upside: multiple pieces note rising power demand from data centers and continued strength in construction/mining end markets — themes that support longer‑term revenue and aftermarket parts growth. Caterpillar Positioned for Long-Term Growth
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary (eg. Jim Cramer) is pushing expectations for a strong Q1 print, which can amplify momentum if results beat. Jim Cramer: "I Actually Expect a Huge Number"
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre‑earnings previews from Zacks and Yahoo dig into key metrics beyond headline revenue/EPS, useful for parsing parts, backlog and margins but not headline movers on their own. Ahead of Caterpillar Q1 Earnings: Wall Street Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst writeups comparing cycle positions vs. peers (eg. Deere) highlight where CAT sits in its equipment cycle — important context for investors but not an immediate catalyst. Caterpillar and Deere Cycle Comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Balanced caution: preview articles note rising costs and CAT’s premium valuation — factors that make the near‑term risk/reward less clear and can prompt profit‑taking ahead of the Q1 print. Caterpillar Set to Report Q1 Earnings: Buy, Sell or Hold?

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Bank of America raised their price target on Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Williams Trading set a $825.00 price target on Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on Caterpillar from $817.00 to $832.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $767.77.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total transaction of $7,261,081.95. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,151 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. This trade represents a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total value of $26,656,109.04. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.2%

Caterpillar stock opened at $818.45 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $302.17 and a 1-year high of $845.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $380.82 billion, a PE ratio of 43.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.52. The stock's fifty day moving average is $743.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $652.29.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.14 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.