Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stock: Americana Partners LLC Cuts Stake

Key Points

• Americana Partners cut its Caterpillar stake by 3.9% in the third quarter, selling 1,787 shares and retaining 44,419 shares valued at approximately $36.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own about 70.98% of CAT.
• Caterpillar posted strong quarterly results, with revenue up 17.3% year over year to $20.68 billion and adjusted EPS of $7.20, beating estimates. Power-generation demand and a record $78.1 billion backlog supported the performance.
• Despite the earnings beat, shares have faced pressure after management maintained its growth outlook and cited only moderate fourth-quarter revenue growth. CAT traded near $622.73, while analysts held a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $913.96 average price target.

Americana Partners LLC lowered its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,419 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,787 shares during the quarter. Americana Partners LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $36,015,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,136 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,164,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 15.8% in the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,626 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,994,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares during the period. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 95.1% in the third quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC now owns 402 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 735.1% during the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,094 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $887,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares during the period. Finally, Petros Family Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Petros Family Wealth LLC now owns 855 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $693,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar reported third-quarter sales and revenues of approximately $20.7 billion, up 17% year over year, while adjusted earnings per share of $7.20 exceeded the $7.06 consensus estimate. Power-generation sales increased 30%, helped by data-center demand, and the company reported a record $78.1 billion backlog. Caterpillar Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial reaffirmed its “buy” rating, while Citigroup maintained a “buy” rating despite lowering its price target to $800. Both targets remain above the current trading level, suggesting some analysts see substantial long-term upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America said Caterpillar’s earnings power remains intact, and analysts expect revenue and EPS growth as the backlog converts. However, the backlog may extend into 2029–2030, meaning investors could wait longer for the full financial benefit.
• Negative Sentiment: Management left its annual growth outlook unchanged and indicated only “moderate” fourth-quarter revenue growth. Investors had expected a stronger forecast or an upgrade, so the unchanged guidance overshadowed the earnings beat. Caterpillar Tops Quarterly Profit View
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue came in slightly below consensus, while tariff expenses and rising inventories added to concerns about costs, demand timing and near-term margins.
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms reduced their targets: Morgan Stanley cut its target to $675 and rated CAT “equal weight,” RBC lowered its target to $722 with a “sector perform” rating, and Truist reduced its target to $1,027. These cuts reinforce concerns that the stock’s premium valuation had become difficult to justify without faster growth.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CAT. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $950.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. DA Davidson increased their target price on Caterpillar from $845.00 to $882.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Zacks Research downgraded Caterpillar from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $1,155.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $913.96.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total transaction of $26,211,760.98. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares in the company, valued at $27,954,303.90. This represents a 48.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of CAT stock opened at $622.73 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $537.08 and a 1-year high of $1,073.46. The company has a market cap of $286.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.43, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $783.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $807.52.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.14. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.87% and a net margin of 15.21%. The business had revenue of $20.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.95 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 26th. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 28.06%.

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. Its product portfolio includes excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and other machinery used in construction, infrastructure development, mining, quarrying, forestry, and related industries. The company also produces diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, generator sets, and other power-generation and transportation equipment.

Caterpillar operates through businesses focused on construction industries, resource industries, and energy and transportation.

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