Joseph Creed Sells 2,500 Shares of Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) CEO Joseph Creed sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total value of $1,797,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 35,083 shares in the company, valued at $25,222,221.19. This represents a 6.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $681.31 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $789.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $317.01 billion, a PE ratio of 36.20, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $681.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $575.30.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th were issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Advisory Resource Group increased its position in Caterpillar by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $935,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Invst LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Invst LLC now owns 753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Plancorp LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,591,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $683,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, KDT Advisors LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. KDT Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on CAT. Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 target price on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, January 30th. HSBC lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $765.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Argus raised their target price on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $724.81.

Caterpillar News Roundup

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

Caterpillar Company 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.