Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stock: Vest Financial LLC Cuts Holdings

Vest Financial LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 70,326 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,740 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $57,020,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% in the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the second quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $936,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Bell Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the second quarter. Bell Bank now owns 1,865 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,986,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% in the first quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total transaction of $26,211,760.98. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. The trade was a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE CAT opened at $740.20 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $805.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $856.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $340.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.85, a PEG ratio of 1.24 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. The business had revenue of $20.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.34 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.51% and a return on equity of 55.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.72 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Investors of record on Monday, October 26th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 26th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 28.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Freedom Broker upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $980.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. President Capital initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, September 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $999.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $877.00 to $897.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $1,118.00 to $1,009.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $967.83.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Improving earnings outlook: Caterpillar has a strong history of exceeding quarterly estimates, and analysts see the company as having favorable conditions for another earnings beat. Its latest reported quarter also substantially exceeded consensus expectations for earnings and revenue. Will Caterpillar Beat Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Strong backlog and raised outlook: Caterpillar is supported by a record $72 billion backlog, strong cash flow and an increased 2026 sales-growth outlook. Although the dividend was held steady, these factors could support future dividend growth and capital returns. CAT Keeps Dividend Unchanged
• Positive Sentiment: Rating and analyst support: Caterpillar was upgraded to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), reflecting greater optimism about its earnings prospects. The average brokerage price target of approximately $967.83 is well above the recent trading level, although targets are not guarantees. Caterpillar Rating Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Dealer technology partnership: IronSight AI and Fast Iron announced a platform that helps Caterpillar, Komatsu and Volvo equipment dealers identify and sell used parts using smartphone images. The development may improve dealer efficiency, but it is not expected to have a material near-term effect on Caterpillar’s financial results. IronSight AI and Fast Iron Partnership
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and trading risks: Caterpillar’s elevated valuation leaves the stock vulnerable to a pullback if earnings momentum slows. ETFs were also reported as net sellers, while commentary cautioned that analyst optimism may already be reflected in the share price. Caterpillar Stock Pullback Risk

About Caterpillar

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.