Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Acquired by LifePlan Financial LLC

LifePlan Financial LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 148.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,171 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,298 shares during the quarter. LifePlan Financial LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $6,914,000. PFC Capital Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. PFC Capital Group Inc. now owns 3,301 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,575,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Sarl lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 1.0% during the third quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 3,938 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,879,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Inc. CA grew its position in Caterpillar by 29.4% in the third quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 66,546 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,752,000 after buying an additional 15,122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,802,068 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,337,007,000 after acquiring an additional 58,993 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $704.10 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $327.61 billion, a PE ratio of 37.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $789.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $683.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $578.41.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.14 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th were issued 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 payout ratio is 32.09%.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the 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 owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total transaction of $6,130,517.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,236,946.70. This represents a 14.47% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 135,950 shares of company stock valued at $94,327,990. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $785 and kept a “buy” rating, lending credibility to further upside from current levels. Benzinga / MarketScreener – Citigroup adjusts price target
• Positive Sentiment: Two separate outlets reported higher analyst price targets ($817 and $825), signaling continued analyst optimism and potential upside in consensus estimates. Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target Raised to $817.00
• Positive Sentiment: Another reported price-target lift to $825 reinforces the analyst momentum behind the stock. Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target Raised to $825.00
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes Caterpillar as a long-term favorite trading near 52-week highs, reflecting ongoing demand and bullish technical trends that can attract momentum buyers. Zacks – 2 Long Term Favorite Stocks Trading Near 52-Week Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar highlighted new heavy electric-drive dozer technology, supporting its transition into electrified equipment and potential new market openings. Product innovation can support premium valuation over time. Electrek – CAT puts century-old tech to work in its newest, heaviest electric drive dozer
• Positive Sentiment: CEO Ogi Redzic discussed AI, data and industrial innovation—an operational narrative that supports margin expansion and aftermarket/service growth if executed. Investors often reward tech-enabled efficiency gains. Forbes – Caterpillar’s Ogi Redzic On AI, Data And Industrial Innovation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces are debating valuation after a short-term pullback: some view the drop as a buying opportunity given multi-year returns, others warn of overvaluation — this keeps sentiment mixed near current levels. Yahoo Finance – Assessing Caterpillar’s Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Opinion pieces pose the classic “buy the dip or book profits” question; they increase volatility by prompting both profit-taking and dip-buying among different investor cohorts. Forbes – CAT Stock Pullback: Time To Buy The Dip Or Book Profits?
• Negative Sentiment: The CEO reported a personal sale of roughly $1.8M in Caterpillar stock; insider sales can be interpreted negatively by some investors even if they are routine or pre-scheduled. Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) CEO Sells $1,797,325.00 in Stock

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Caterpillar from $756.00 to $870.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, February 6th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $726.00.

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.