Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Key Points

• Q1 beat: Caterpillar reported revenue of $17.42 billion and non‑GAAP EPS of $5.54, topping estimates as management cited strong data‑center demand, capacity expansion and a growing backlog that supported margins.
• Analyst bullishness: Multiple brokers raised price targets (JPMorgan to $1,125, Wells Fargo to $1,050, BofA to $989), leaving an average target of $862.32 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Ownership and insider moves: Varma Mutual trimmed its stake by 2.7% to 76,416 shares (~$43.8M); institutional investors hold about 70.98% of CAT, while insiders sold roughly 60,164 shares in the past three months (insiders own 0.33%).

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 76,416 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,140 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $43,776,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,385,185 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $26,572,681,000 after acquiring an additional 442,164 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,228,058 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,494,568,000 after acquiring an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 20.7% in the third 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 acquiring an additional 609,023 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.2% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,802,068 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,337,007,000 after acquiring an additional 58,993 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 24.3% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,375,710 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,176,870,000 after acquiring an additional 464,036 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $960.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. CICC Research initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $930.00 to $989.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $860.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $862.32.

Key Caterpillar News

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

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total value of $1,730,391.58. Following the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 60,164 shares of company stock valued at $43,748,068. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.1%

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

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders 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 is 30.06%.

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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