Harfst & Associates Inc. Purchases 38,662 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Harfst & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1,330.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 41,567 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 38,662 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises 6.4% of Harfst & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Harfst & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $33,702,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Oath Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $516,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 219,176 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $177,706,000 after purchasing an additional 41,055 shares in the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $361,000. Zullo Investment Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,971 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,599,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,289 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,721,000 after purchasing an additional 2,138 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares in the company, valued at $27,954,303.90. This trade represents a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar received a Zacks Rank upgrade to #2 (Buy), reflecting increased optimism about its earnings outlook. That could provide support to the shares, although the upgrade is based on a quantitative ranking rather than a major change in company fundamentals. Caterpillar rating upgrade article
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is investing $10 million to expand its North Carolina workforce and manufacturing presence. The investment signals confidence in regional production demand and could support long-term growth, though it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Caterpillar North Carolina investment article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly favorable, with Wall Street’s average recommendation suggesting CAT is suitable for portfolios. However, the report cautions that sell-side recommendations can be overly optimistic, limiting the signal’s value for investors. Caterpillar analyst recommendation article
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison with W.W. Grainger and other industrial-products companies provides context on CAT’s year-to-date performance, but does not introduce a new company-specific catalyst. Caterpillar peer performance article
• Negative Sentiment: Caterpillar formally objected to the unauthorized tokenized trading of its shares on the OKX-ICE venue, citing regulatory and reputational risks. The dispute may create headline risk and reinforces concerns about how CAT stock is represented in unregistered digital-asset markets. Caterpillar tokenized shares article

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $1,100.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $1,225.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, President Capital assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, September 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $999.00 price objective on the stock. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $967.83.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.1%

CAT stock opened at $725.27 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $333.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $510.21 and a fifty-two week high of $1,073.46. The business has a 50-day moving average of $807.63 and a 200-day moving average of $856.77.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 55.53% and a net margin of 14.51%. The business had revenue of $20.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.72 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 26th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.06%.

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. Its product portfolio includes excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and other machinery used in construction, infrastructure development, mining, quarrying, forestry, and related industries. The company also produces diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, generator sets, and other power-generation and transportation equipment.

Caterpillar operates through businesses focused on construction industries, resource industries, and energy and transportation.