VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Purchases New Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems bought 44,632 Caterpillar shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $47.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.98% of CAT.
• Caterpillar reported a strong quarter, with earnings of $8.17 per share and revenue of $20.54 billion, surpassing estimates and representing 23.7% year-over-year revenue growth. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $994.17.
• CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares for roughly $26.2 million, reducing his direct position by 48.39%; meanwhile, shares opened at $783.61, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 44,632 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $47,529,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 440.0% in the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Matrix Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 93.8% during the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 31 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,118.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $1,002.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,125.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $994.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. This trade represents a 48.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar was added to the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list, reflecting favorable momentum and recent analyst sentiment. New Strong Buy Stocks for September 14th
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also identified CAT as a wide-moat company, citing durable competitive advantages, growth prospects and favorable demand across its markets. Buy These 5 Top-Ranked Wide Moat Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar was highlighted as an AI-exposure and dividend stock, suggesting investors may view its equipment and technology businesses as beneficiaries of data-center and infrastructure spending while receiving shareholder distributions. 3 Stocks That Offer AI Exposure and Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage also pointed to an analyst upgrade and higher earnings estimates, while Caterpillar’s partnership with FieldAI could expand its exposure to physical AI, robotics and digital twins. Erste Group Bank Lifts Earnings Estimates for Caterpillar Caterpillar And FieldAI Partner on Physical AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles presented Caterpillar as a long-term investment idea, but these list inclusions do not represent new company-specific operating results or guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: The main near-term pressure came from concerns that the data-center power trade may be unwinding. Caterpillar fell alongside industrial names even as Deere held up better, indicating profit-taking or reduced enthusiasm for CAT’s AI-infrastructure narrative. Caterpillar Falls While Deere Edges Higher

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $783.61 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a market capitalization of $360.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.60. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $430.61 and a twelve month high of $1,073.46. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $849.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $841.00.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.51% and a return on equity of 55.53%. The firm had revenue of $20.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.72 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. The company's products include excavators, dozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and off-highway trucks, as well as related attachments and work tools. Caterpillar also supplies replacement parts, equipment services, technology solutions, and rental support through its dealer network.

The company serves customers in construction, mining, quarrying, energy, transportation, forestry, agriculture, and government-related industries.

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