Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,350 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,090 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $40,301,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CAT. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,688,000 after buying an additional 2,519 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 108.5% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 4,083 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,585,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,147 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,551,000 after buying an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 572,165 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $222,120,000 after buying an additional 34,846 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CAT. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $765.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $817.00 to $832.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $805.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $767.77.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Caterpillar
Caterpillar News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets report a string of small upward revisions to Caterpillar’s near‑term EPS (Q3/Q4 2026 and Q3/Q4 2027), which supports expectations for stronger quarterly results ahead of Q1 reporting. These marginal upgrades can lift sentiment by reducing downside earnings risk. MarketBeat CAT page
- Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $960 (from $870) and bumped 2026–2028 EPS forecasts, citing projects such as Solar Turbines that bolster longer‑term revenue and margin prospects — a prominent broker upgrade that can attract buyers and supports upside. Wells Fargo lifts PT on Caterpillar (Yahoo)
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple media stories highlight growing power demand from data centers and inclusion in “quality dividend” lists; analysts and commentators (including Jim Cramer mentions) emphasize CAT’s exposure to data‑center power and rental/engine demand, which supports a growth narrative beyond construction/mining cycles. Caterpillar positioned for long-term growth (Yahoo)
- Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street previews and Zacks pieces ahead of Q1 earnings focus attention on key metrics beyond headline revenue/EPS (backlog, margin mix, dealer inventories). These previews raise expectations but also amplify volatility around the upcoming report. Ahead of Caterpillar Q1 earnings (Zacks)
- Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar’s strategic moves — acquisition of Monarch Tractor (automation/electric ag) and a planned CFO transition — point to portfolio diversification and management succession that are positive long term but introduce short‑term integration and execution risk. Monarch deal and CFO shift (Yahoo)
- Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary argues CAT’s rally is being driven by data‑center hype and that the stock trades at a high P/E (and recent articles label it a “data center trap”), raising valuation concerns; such narratives can pressure the stock if investors rotate out of cyclicals into cheaper or purer tech plays. Caterpillar: The 43x P/E Data Center Trap (Seeking Alpha)
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total transaction of $1,730,391.58. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,096,117.23. This trade represents a 61.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390 over the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Caterpillar Stock Performance
Caterpillar stock opened at $829.84 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $302.17 and a 1-year high of $845.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $386.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.52. The company's 50-day moving average is $742.02 and its 200 day moving average is $649.99.
Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.14 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.89 EPS for the current year.
Caterpillar Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors 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 yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is 32.09%.
Caterpillar Profile
(
Free Report)
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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