Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 1,281,087 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. dramatically increased its Caterpillar stake by 573.1% in the fourth quarter, adding 1,281,087 shares to reach 1,504,612 shares worth about $861.9 million.
• Caterpillar’s latest earnings beat expectations, with quarterly EPS of $5.54 versus $4.65 expected and revenue of $17.42 billion, up 22.2% from a year earlier.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive, with multiple firms raising price targets and analysts giving Caterpillar a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average target of $923.14.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 573.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 1,281,087 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.32% of Caterpillar worth $861,947,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $2,951,000. Bedminster LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $344,000. WHI TRUST Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $81,000. Donoghue Forlines LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $2,432,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1,918.2% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 406,478 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $232,857,000 after buying an additional 386,337 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted its price target on Caterpillar to $950 from $700, signaling continued upside potential despite keeping a neutral rating. Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts price target on Caterpillar to $950 from $700, maintains neutral rating
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer called Caterpillar “a buy,” citing oil and gas exposure, infrastructure spending, and AI data-center power demand as potential tailwinds. Jim Cramer Says Caterpillar Is a Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar said it is hiring 600 workers at its Sanford, North Carolina plant to support compact track loader production, suggesting strong demand and added manufacturing activity. Caterpillar hiring 600 jobs at Sanford plant
• Positive Sentiment: Industry research on Saudi Arabia’s construction equipment market pointed to Caterpillar as a key player in a market expected to grow steadily through 2030, supported by large infrastructure projects. Saudi Arabia Construction Equipment Industry Research 2026-2031 Featuring Caterpillar

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total transaction of $14,399,860.54. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $48,631,913.85. This represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 86,029 shares in the company, valued at $79,397,884.68. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 103,287 shares of company stock valued at $93,259,774. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on CAT. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $769.00 to $879.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $860.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $930.00 to $989.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $923.14.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $888.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.63. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $775.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $680.05. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $336.24 and a 12 month high of $931.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The business had revenue of $17.42 billion for 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 firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.46 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 30.06%.

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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