MidFirst Bank Takes $15.58 Million Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• MidFirst Bank opened a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter, buying 27,191 shares valued at about $15.6 million. The stake makes CAT its 14th-largest holding and about 1.2% of the portfolio.
• Caterpillar has been attracting broader institutional and analyst support, with hedge funds owning 70.98% of the stock and several firms raising price targets. JPMorgan, for example, lifted its target to $1,165 and reiterated an overweight rating.
• The company reported strong recent results, beating Wall Street estimates with $5.54 EPS and $17.41 billion in revenue, while revenue jumped 22.2% year over year. Caterpillar also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.63 from $1.51.

MidFirst Bank 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 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 27,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $15,577,000. Caterpillar comprises 1.2% of MidFirst Bank's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. DGS Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $319,000. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. increased its position in Caterpillar by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 1,797 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,029,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Wealth Management Group Inc bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $229,000. SG Trading Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $1,747,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 42,458 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $24,323,000 after acquiring an additional 4,188 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Caterpillar to $1,165 from $1,125 and reiterated an overweight rating, reinforcing a bullish analyst outlook for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts currently view Caterpillar as a “Moderate Buy,” suggesting Wall Street remains constructive on the company’s earnings and growth prospects.
• Positive Sentiment: Several writeups highlight Caterpillar as a blue-chip name benefiting from strong market momentum, with the stock featured among top industrial and Dow stocks to watch.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest is also being supported by Caterpillar’s recent dividend hike, which signals confidence in cash flow and capital returns.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around Caterpillar’s growing power generation business and its exposure to AI data-center infrastructure is improving the long-term growth story. Article: Caterpillar (CAT) Is Recasting Its Growth Story With A $63 Billion AI Backlog
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles are simply repeating recent market strength and record-high Dow leadership, which supports sentiment but does not add new company-specific information.
• Negative Sentiment: One article references a legal/political dispute over the SEC’s Consolidated Audit Trail, but this appears to concern the CAT data system rather than Caterpillar Inc., so it is not a meaningful fundamental driver for the stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $987.79 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $870.74 and a 200-day moving average of $738.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $454.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.59. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $357.73 and a 12 month high of $994.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The business had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.25 EPS. Caterpillar's revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $935.09.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 49,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total transaction of $14,399,860.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,631,913.85. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.