Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stake Lessened by Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Richard Bernstein Advisors trimmed its stake in Caterpillar by 51.8% in Q4, selling 2,840 shares and leaving it with 2,643 shares valued at about $1.514 million.
• Caterpillar beat Q1 estimates with EPS $5.54 versus $4.65 and revenue $17.42B (up 22.2%), prompting multiple firms to raise price targets and leaving a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $890.27.
• Notable insider selling has occurred recently — insiders sold 55,375 shares (~$42.5M) over the last three months, including CEO Joseph Creed and another executive who sold 5,639 shares.

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 51.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,643 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,840 shares during the period. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,893,000. ZEGA Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 149.6% in the 3rd quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC now owns 4,184 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 2,508 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.5% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,677 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $79,053,000 after purchasing an additional 4,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Juno Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $877,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Wolfe Research upped their price target on Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target 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, Truist Financial set a $1,043.00 price objective on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $890.27.

Caterpillar Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $927.22 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $753.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $662.31. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $318.11 and a 52 week high of $930.54. The stock has a market cap of $427.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.15, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $17.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company's revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 23.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the firm's 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 in the company, valued at $25,222,221.19. This trade represents a 6.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 5,639 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $903.18, for a total value of $5,093,032.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 2,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,299,496.28. This trade represents a 68.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 55,375 shares of company stock valued at $42,494,287. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results: Caterpillar reported solid top‑line and margin beats and big construction equipment revenue growth, giving investors confidence in near‑term demand and backlog expansion. Caterpillar Reports 38% Boost to Construction Equipment Revenue for Q1 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target lifts: Multiple shops boosted their targets (Argus to $990; HSBC raised its target as well), providing fresh buy‑side ammunition and supporting higher valuations. Argus Raises Caterpillar NYSE: CAT Price Target to $990.00 HSBC Raises Caterpillar Price Target to $1,100
• Positive Sentiment: AI / data‑center power narrative: Coverage framing CAT as an AI‑infrastructure beneficiary (generators, power systems, onsite electrification) is driving incremental demand expectations and momentum buying. Industrial-Strength Rally: Why Caterpillar Is Up 53%...
• Positive Sentiment: Order visibility: Third‑party notes on supplier/peer dynamics (Archrock) point to much longer lead times — a signal that equipment and power demand are sustained. Longer lead times support pricing power and future revenue. Archrock reaffirms outlook as Caterpillar lead times near 160
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial wins & product traction: New deployments of CAT autonomy and power solutions (e.g., Carmeuse deal) show product diversification and aftermarket / technology monetization potential. Carmeuse selects Caterpillar’s autonomous hauling solution
• Positive Sentiment: Insider support: A director added shares (modest buy), which is a small but constructive insider signal. SEC filing: Director purchase
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst posture: Some firms (DA Davidson) raised targets after the quarter but kept Neutral ratings, indicating disagreement on how much upside is left versus the premium valuation. DA Davidson Raises Caterpillar (CAT) Target Following Better-Than-Expected Quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Attention/volatility: Heavy media coverage and elevated options interest are amplifying near‑term moves but do not by themselves change fundamentals. Do Options Traders Know Something About Caterpillar Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sales: Two insiders disclosed sizable share sales (one trimmed ~37%, another sold >5,600 shares), which some investors may interpret as profit‑taking and a modest caution flag. SEC filing: Insider sale SEC filing: Insider sale (Shurman)

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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