VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Reduces Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al cut its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 30.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,412 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 37,000 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $40,754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.8% in the third quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,283,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 15,263 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,283,000 after purchasing an additional 2,204 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 88.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 6,136 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,928,000 after purchasing an additional 2,876 shares during the last quarter. Base Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. Base Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,989 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $949,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 1.9% during the third quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,956,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI/data‑center demand is driving a surge in generator sales, which executives and reporters say is the fastest‑growing segment and a key reason for CAT’s rally. This demand is translating into higher revenue and a re‑rating of the stock. Caterpillar’s Data Center Generators Fuel Sale Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage (WSJ/MSN/Newsbytes) highlights AI as the catalyst behind higher generator orders and investor enthusiasm; several outlets tie recent price strength to this secular shift away from purely construction equipment. Caterpillar’s Surging Stock Is Fueled by AI, Not Yellow Excavators
• Positive Sentiment: Market recognition: CAT has become the Dow’s best performer this year, a sign that momentum and investor positioning are reinforcing the rally. (Includes analyst commentary on the move.) Caterpillar becomes the Dow’s best performer this year
• Positive Sentiment: Product innovation: Caterpillar introduced a Track Clamp Master Link to simplify excavator track installation — minor revenue/aftermarket benefit but supports the company’s product pipeline and aftermarket positioning. Cat’s New Track Clamp Master Link Eases Excavator Track Installation
• Neutral Sentiment: Centennial/brand pieces celebrate CAT’s 100‑year history and workforce; positive for reputation but limited direct near‑term financial impact. Celebrating 100 years and the people behind Caterpillar machines
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/investor debate: pieces question whether the stock is too extended after a >100% rally since April; valuation and mean reversion risks are being discussed even as fundamentals improve. Is it too late to buy Caterpillar after its bullish 2025 run?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reshoring theme: analysts include CAT among manufacturers that could benefit from reshoring trends into 2026, a structural tailwind for equipment demand. 3 Manufacturing Stocks to Benefit From Reshoring in 2026

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $577.64 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $627.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $570.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $481.44. The company has a market cap of $270.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.65, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.52 by $0.43. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The company had revenue of $17.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.17 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 31.01%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $563.60, for a total value of $6,034,465.20. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,649 shares in the company, valued at $4,874,576.40. This trade represents a 55.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 8,184 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $570.18, for a total value of $4,666,353.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,512 shares in the company, valued at $23,669,312.16. This represents a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 61,895 shares of company stock valued at $34,007,516 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $570.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $557.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $612.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $408.00 to $569.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $616.00.

Caterpillar 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.