FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH Cuts Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH cut its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 73.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 474 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,294 shares during the quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CAT. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% in the third 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 buying an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1,851.8% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,830,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $873,382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736,631 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 20.7% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,553,930 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,695,757,000 after purchasing an additional 609,023 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 24.3% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,375,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,176,870,000 after purchasing an additional 464,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,385,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,572,681,000 after purchasing an additional 442,164 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total transaction of $7,261,081.95. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. The trade was a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 35,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,222,221.19. This trade represents a 6.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird upgraded CAT and raised its price target sharply (from $805 to $940), citing stronger fundamentals and boosting short‑term sentiment — this upgrade helped drive recent upside. Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Stock Price Up 3.3% Following Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar reaffirmed its dividend (quarterly $1.51, paid May 19), supporting shareholder-return expectations and attracting income-focused investors. Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) Asserts Commitment to Shareholder Value Amid Management Change
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and screens expect Caterpillar earnings to continue growing into the next report — that prospect of further earnings beats is a fundamental positive supporting the rally. Caterpillar (CAT) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term thematic coverage highlights CAT’s exposure to AI/data‑center power and automation, reframing the company beyond traditional heavy equipment and supporting a higher multiple for some investors. More Than Just Dirt: Caterpillar Is the AI Stock Nobody Saw Coming
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Andrew Bonfield announced retirement in October; internal successor Kyle Epley will take over in May — management continuity reduces disruption risk, but any leadership change bears watching. Caterpillar (CAT) CFO Andrew Bonfield to Retire
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces call out the very strong short‑term run (30–90 day gains) and prompt a valuation check — this fuels both bullish momentum and investor caution about stretched multiples. Caterpillar (CAT) Valuation Check After A Strong Short Term Share Price Run
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its numerical target slightly but kept an Underweight rating, signaling macro and cyclical downside risk to earnings that could pressure the stock if industrial demand softens. Morgan Stanley Ups Caterpillar (CAT) Target to $430, Flags Macro Risks to Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary and “avoid” pieces warn that the post‑earnings rally may have priced in too much growth — these narratives can accelerate profit‑taking by momentum traders. 3 Reasons to Avoid CAT and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Argus boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $678.00 to $769.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, February 6th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $767.77.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $830.59 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $740.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $647.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $386.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $302.17 and a fifty-two week high of $845.27.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.14 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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

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.