Stephens Inc. AR Sells 2,912 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR trimmed its Caterpillar stake by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,912 shares and leaving it with 58,243 shares valued at about $33.4 million.
• Caterpillar has seen positive analyst sentiment, including higher price targets from firms like JPMorgan, HSBC, and Argus; the stock now carries a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average target of $923.14.
• The company posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $5.54 beating estimates and revenue of $17.42 billion topping forecasts, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $1.51 per share.

Stephens Inc. AR lessened its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,243 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,912 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $33,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 140.0% during the 4th quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sellwood Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

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 Activity

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction of $14,928,254.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 46,041 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,935 shares in the company, valued at $48,631,913.85. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 103,287 shares of company stock valued at $93,259,774 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $860.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, February 6th. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Argus increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $923.14.

Caterpillar Stock Down 3.4%

NYSE:CAT opened at $888.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $409.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.25, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.63. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $336.24 and a 1-year high of $931.35. The company's fifty day moving average price is $775.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $680.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 business earned $4.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued 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%.

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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