Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Stock Price Up 3.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) traded up 3.3% during trading on Thursday after Robert W. Baird raised their price target on the stock from $805.00 to $940.00. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Caterpillar traded as high as $845.27 and last traded at $835.5250. 2,570,664 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 5% from the average session volume of 2,717,324 shares. The stock had previously closed at $808.87.

CAT has been the subject of several other reports. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Argus lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen equities research 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $767.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. This trade represents a 20.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total value of $16,314,812.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. The trade was a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390 in the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird raised its price target to $940 and kept an “outperform” rating, giving an explicit upside thesis that likely supported buying interest. Baird Adjusts Price Target on Caterpillar
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage framing Caterpillar as an unexpected AI/data-center and automation play is boosting the growth narrative beyond traditional construction/machinery demand. That thematic re-rating is supporting higher multiples. More Than Just Dirt: Caterpillar Is the AI Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst notes and outlets reiterate expectation for continued earnings growth and a likely beat in upcoming results, reinforcing investor confidence in near-term fundamentals. Caterpillar Earnings Expected to Grow
• Positive Sentiment: Broker and analyst optimism beyond one note: other outlets discuss bullish price targets and forecasts (speculative $1,000 scenarios), adding momentum from retail and momentum-focused funds. Is Caterpillar Stock Headed for $1,000?
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar reiterated its dividend and named a longtime executive as CFO — actions that reduce governance uncertainty and support shareholder-value narratives. Caterpillar Names New CFO
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley nudged its price target to $430 but maintained an Underweight rating and flagged macro risks to earnings — a mixed signal that tempers some of the bullish momentum. Morgan Stanley Ups Caterpillar Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Market write-ups noting the recent intraday/short-term moves and questioning whether it’s “too late” highlight valuation and momentum risk—important context for risk-aware investors. Caterpillar Stock Moves
• Negative Sentiment: Critical pieces outline reasons to avoid CAT after a big run (valuation, mean-reversion risk, and concentrated upside already priced in), which could pressure sentiment if investors rotate out. 3 Reasons to Avoid CAT

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,228,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,494,568,000 after acquiring an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 68,427.2% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,140,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,224,992,000 after acquiring an additional 3,136,020 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,225,317,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1,851.8% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,830,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $873,382,000 after acquiring an additional 1,736,631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Caterpillar by 573.1% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $861,947,000 after buying an additional 1,281,087 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.3%

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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $739.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $643.21. The company has a market capitalization of $388.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.52.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 32.09%.

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.