Comerica Bank Sells 7,346 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Comerica Bank trimmed its stake in Caterpillar by 7.7%, selling 7,346 shares and leaving it with 88,491 shares valued at about $50.7 million at quarter-end.
• Caterpillar beat quarterly estimates with $5.16 EPS vs. $4.67 expected and $19.13 billion in revenue (up 17.9% year‑over‑year), and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.51 per share (annualized $6.04, yield ~0.7%).
• Insiders have been net sellers—125,950 shares (~$88.6M) sold over the past 90 days, while institutional ownership is about 70.98%; analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target near $767.77.

Comerica Bank decreased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,491 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,346 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $50,694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth $8,893,000. ZEGA Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 149.6% during 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 during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its stake in Caterpillar by 2.5% in 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 buying an additional 4,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Juno Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $877,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.0%

Caterpillar stock opened at $830.59 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $386.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.52. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $302.17 and a 52 week high of $845.27. The business's 50-day moving average price is $740.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $647.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The firm 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%.Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.14 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total value of $6,130,517.90. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 46,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,236,946.70. This trade represents a 14.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390 over the last 90 days. Company 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: Robert W. Baird upgraded CAT and raised its price target sharply (from $805 to $940), citing stronger fundamentals and boosting short‑term sentiment — this upgrade helped drive recent upside. Caterpillar NYSE: CAT Stock Price Up 3.3% Following Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar reaffirmed its dividend (quarterly $1.51, paid May 19), supporting shareholder-return expectations and attracting income-focused investors. Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) Asserts Commitment to Shareholder Value Amid Management Change
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and screens expect Caterpillar earnings to continue growing into the next report — that prospect of further earnings beats is a fundamental positive supporting the rally. Caterpillar (CAT) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term thematic coverage highlights CAT’s exposure to AI/data‑center power and automation, reframing the company beyond traditional heavy equipment and supporting a higher multiple for some investors. More Than Just Dirt: Caterpillar Is the AI Stock Nobody Saw Coming
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Andrew Bonfield announced retirement in October; internal successor Kyle Epley will take over in May — management continuity reduces disruption risk, but any leadership change bears watching. Caterpillar (CAT) CFO Andrew Bonfield to Retire
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces call out the very strong short‑term run (30–90 day gains) and prompt a valuation check — this fuels both bullish momentum and investor caution about stretched multiples. Caterpillar (CAT) Valuation Check After A Strong Short Term Share Price Run
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its numerical target slightly but kept an Underweight rating, signaling macro and cyclical downside risk to earnings that could pressure the stock if industrial demand softens. Morgan Stanley Ups Caterpillar (CAT) Target to $430, Flags Macro Risks to Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary and "avoid" pieces warn that the post‑earnings rally may have priced in too much growth — these narratives can accelerate profit‑taking by momentum traders. 3 Reasons to Avoid CAT and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CAT shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $825.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Caterpillar from $870.00 to $960.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Raymond James Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $817.00 to $832.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $677.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $767.77.

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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