First Trust Advisors LP Grows Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 19.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 334,495 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 54,048 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $159,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth about $2,165,899,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after buying an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 82.0% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,820,000 after acquiring an additional 12,278 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 155.9% during the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,014,000 after acquiring an additional 28,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth $8,893,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 972 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $764.20, for a total transaction of $742,802.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 824 shares in the company, valued at approximately $629,700.80. The trade was a 54.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total value of $6,130,517.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,236,946.70. The trade was a 14.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 135,950 shares of company stock worth $94,327,990 over the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $681.31 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $681.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $575.30. The company has a market cap of $317.01 billion, a PE ratio of 36.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.54. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $789.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th were given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on CAT. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $677.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $678.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $724.81.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price‑target upgrades from Jefferies and Oppenheimer lift longer‑term outlooks — Jefferies raised its target to $825 and Oppenheimer to $817, both keeping buy/outperform views, signaling near‑20% upside versus current levels. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals remain supportive: Caterpillar beat revenue and EPS expectations in its last report (strong margins and revenue growth), which underpins analyst bullishness and medium‑term earnings expectations. Analyst Upgrade Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Joseph Creed sold 2,500 shares (filed with the SEC), a small reduction in insider holdings that may be interpreted as routine liquidity rather than a signal of deteriorating fundamentals. SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive PR and brand buzz from a viral AI image and Caterpillar’s real pickup concept give the company free publicity and may support equipment‑brand equity, but have limited immediate revenue impact. Caterpillar Built a Yellow Pickup
• Negative Sentiment: Large intraday losses in CAT helped drive sharp Dow declines and reflect heavy profit‑taking and macro risk sentiment; that market stress is the main reason the stock is down today. Dow Falls Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary on valuation labels Caterpillar as a high‑quality but highly valued cyclical, which could amplify downside if macro or industrial demand weakens. Valuation Critique
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage noting the stock’s day‑over‑day dip highlights short‑term momentum weakness and heavier intraday volume, contributing to negative price action. Why CAT Dipped

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.