Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Raises Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,181 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $8,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Echo45 Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $208,000. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co lifted its position in Caterpillar by 13.3% during the third quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 78,556 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,483,000 after purchasing an additional 9,200 shares during the last quarter. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,552,000. Savvy Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 6,014 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,870,000 after buying an additional 909 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth $251,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI/data-center demand — Reports note that AI-driven capital expenditures (hyperscaler data-center construction and mining electrification) are boosting demand for large construction and mining equipment, a structural tailwind for Caterpillar’s sales and backlog. Caterpillar Rides AI Data Center Boom With Priced In Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target lift — Bank of America raised its price target (and an upgrade triggered a new 1‑year high mention), adding buy-side momentum and validating higher valuations for CAT. Bank of America Raises Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target to $825.00
• Positive Sentiment: Upgraded earnings estimates — Zacks refreshed its model, raising Q1 and multi‑year EPS forecasts for CAT (FY2026–FY2028), which supports higher forward earnings multiples and gives investors conviction about near‑term profitability. The Zacks Analyst Alphabet, Caterpillar,T-Mobile US and Onfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Market leadership / headline performance — Coverage and headlines highlight CAT as a top contributor to the Dow’s gains, which can attract momentum flows and index-related buying. Why Caterpillar’s Stock Is Benefiting From the AI Boom
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro data mixed — Recent reports show stronger January jobs but downward revisions to 2025 job growth and lingering inflation above 2%. That creates uncertainty around Fed policy; durable capex demand can offset tighter monetary risk, but macro backdrop remains a cross‑current. Wall Street Roundup: Economic Data, Earnings Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad market momentum — Commentary about the Dow passing 50,000 and an AI‑led bull market supports risk appetite broadly, which benefits cyclical industrials like CAT but may also price in further outperformance. Dow 50,000 Shows This AI-Led Bull Market Has Plenty Of Room To Run
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/“priced-in” concerns and stock-specific risks — Some coverage warns that much of the AI benefit is already reflected in CAT’s share price and flags potential red flags (valuation, execution risk, or reliance on cyclical capex), which could amplify pullbacks if growth disappoints. Watch Out For These Red Flags In CAT Stock

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CAT. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $710.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. CICC Research initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $702.95.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $774.37 on Friday. 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 $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $789.81. The company has a market capitalization of $362.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.15, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $634.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $540.45.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its 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 net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.14 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 32.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 41,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. This trade represents a 20.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at $26,142,227.60. This trade represents a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 130,545 shares of company stock worth $88,294,733. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar 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.