Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.

Key Points

• Peregrine Asset Advisers cut its stake in Caterpillar by 32.0% in Q4, selling 1,232 shares and retaining 2,619 shares valued at about $1.5 million, while institutional investors hold roughly 70.98% of the stock.
• Q1 beat and analyst bullishness: Caterpillar reported Q1 revenue of $17.42B and non‑GAAP EPS of $5.54, topping estimates and citing strong data‑center demand, and several brokers (including BofA and Jefferies) have since raised price targets and ratings.
• Insider selling and dividend: Insiders sold 60,164 shares (~$43.75M) over the past three months even as the company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.51 ($6.04 annual, ~0.7% yield).

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 32.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,619 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,232 shares during the period. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — Caterpillar reported Q1 revenue of $17.42B and non‑GAAP EPS of $5.54, topping estimates; management cited strong data‑center demand and capacity expansion that helped drive backlog and margins. CAT Q1 Deep Dive: Data Center Demand and Capacity Expansion Drive Strong Results
• Positive Sentiment: BofA hike — Bank of America raised its price target (most recently to $989) and kept a Buy rating, citing power-generation and energy tailwinds, record backlog and parts recovery as drivers of further upside. BofA Securities adjusts Caterpillar price target to $989
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raises target — Jefferies increased its price target to $1,045, signaling conviction in continued demand across CAT’s end markets and supporting analyst momentum behind the stock. Jefferies Financial Group Increases Caterpillar Price Target to $1,045.00
• Positive Sentiment: Wave of analyst bullishness — Additional broker notes (JPMorgan, Robert W. Baird, Wells Fargo, Daiwa, Sanford Bernstein, Citigroup) either raised targets or flagged CAT as a buy/overweight, reinforcing the buy-side narrative. Caterpillar Stock Price Expected to Rise, Robert W. Baird Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Quality TV endorsement — Jim Cramer highlighted Caterpillar as a beneficiary of the massive data‑center/AI infrastructure build‑out, which reinforces investor focus on CAT’s exposure to power, cooling and on-site generation demand. Jim Cramer on Caterpillar: “It’s Got a Ton of Business From the Data Center Build-Out”
• Neutral Sentiment: Talent pipeline/newsflow — Caterpillar signed 16 local high‑school seniors to manufacturing roles (hiring/PR positive but not material to near‑term earnings). Caterpillar signs 16 high school seniors to manufacturing roles

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Caterpillar from $905.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $862.32.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $890.15 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $746.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $656.99. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $318.11 and a twelve month high of $905.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $414.17 billion, a PE ratio of 44.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.63.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The business had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.25 EPS. The business's revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 23.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 972 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $764.20, for a total value of $742,802.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $629,700.80. This trade represents a 54.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total transaction of $6,130,517.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,643 shares in the company, valued at $36,236,946.70. This trade represents a 14.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 60,164 shares of company stock worth $43,748,068. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Caterpillar 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report).

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.