Merrithew & Thorsten Inc Invests $931,000 in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Merrithew & Thorsten Inc bought 1,625 shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter, a position valued at about $931,000. The stake makes up roughly 1.0% of the fund’s holdings and is its 12th-largest position.
• Caterpillar’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $5.54 and revenue of $17.42 billion, while construction equipment revenue jumped sharply. Management’s strong quarter and long equipment lead times are reinforcing optimism about demand and backlog strength.
• Wall Street sentiment has turned more bullish, with several analysts raising price targets, including Argus to $990 and HSBC to $1,100. However, recent insider selling and the stock’s sharp rally suggest some caution after the run-up.

Merrithew & Thorsten Inc purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,625 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $931,000. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 1.0% of Merrithew & Thorsten Inc's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 7.3% during the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at approximately $8,893,000. ZEGA Investments LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 149.6% during the third quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC now owns 4,184 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 2,508 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its holdings 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 period. Finally, Juno Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $877,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar’s latest quarterly results were stronger than expected, with EPS and revenue both topping estimates and construction equipment revenue rising sharply, reinforcing the case for solid demand and backlog strength. Caterpillar Reports 38% Boost to Construction Equipment Revenue for Q1 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets on CAT after the better-than-expected quarter, including Argus and HSBC, which is helping support bullish sentiment around the stock. Argus Raises Caterpillar Price Target HSBC Raises Caterpillar Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage continues to frame Caterpillar as a beneficiary of AI and data-center power demand, broadening the company’s growth narrative beyond traditional construction and mining markets. Industrial-Strength Rally: Why Caterpillar Is Up 53%...
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary points to very long equipment lead times, which suggests sustained demand and potential pricing power ahead. Archrock reaffirms outlook as Caterpillar lead times near 160
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar also opened registration for a global innovation challenge, signaling continued investment in workforce development and technology, though this is more of a longer-term strategic positive than an immediate stock driver. Caterpillar Opens Registration for Global Innovation Challenge
• Neutral Sentiment: Some firms raised targets while keeping Neutral ratings, suggesting Wall Street sees upside, but also believes a lot of good news may already be reflected in the stock after its big run. DA Davidson Raises Caterpillar Target Following Better-Than-Expected Quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy media attention and elevated trading interest may be adding volatility, but these factors do not change Caterpillar’s underlying business fundamentals. Do Options Traders Know Something About Caterpillar Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including the CFO, disclosed sizable stock sales, which can weigh on sentiment and raise concerns about whether the recent rally is prompting profit-taking. CFO insider sale SEC filing Insider sale (Shurman) SEC filing

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.1%

Caterpillar stock opened at $896.14 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $412.75 billion, a PE ratio of 44.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $323.31 and a twelve month high of $931.35. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $755.75 and a 200-day moving average of $664.91.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Truist Financial set a $1,043.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, May 1st. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $890.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total value of $22,354,968.24. Following the sale, the insider owned 86,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at $79,397,884.68. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 9,152 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $926.25, for a total transaction of $8,477,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,645,476.25. This represents a 16.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 75,734 shares of company stock valued at $67,054,613 over the last 90 days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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