Diversified Trust Co. Purchases 2,404 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Diversified Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 30.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,404 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,165,899,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 7.3% during the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise grew its stake in Caterpillar by 82.0% during the second quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,820,000 after acquiring an additional 12,278 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its stake in Caterpillar by 155.9% during the third quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,014,000 after acquiring an additional 28,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $8,893,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on CAT shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $765.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $729.00 to $817.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $730.50.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its earnings outlook for Caterpillar, forecasting higher EPS — a direct positive for investor expectations and support for the stock after Caterpillar’s January quarter beat. Zacks Research Forecasts Higher Earnings for Caterpillar
• Positive Sentiment: A Chicago Tribune editorial highlights Hyundai Translead’s large Joliet manufacturing investment and broader regional manufacturing momentum; such industrial investments can indirectly lift demand for heavy equipment, parts and services that benefit suppliers like CAT. Editorial: Gov. JB Pritzker gets a big win with Hyundai Translead’s splashy Joliet investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Human-interest coverage referencing “caterpillars” as food for songbirds — not related to Caterpillar Inc.’s business; minimal investor impact. ‘The great munching’: Caterpillars’ gluttony means food for baby songbirds
• Neutral Sentiment: Feature on interactive machines at an Illinois museum — raises local brand visibility but has little bearing on fundamentals. The Massive Interactive Machines At This Illinois Museum Will Blow You Away
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece warns that while data‑center demand tailwinds for Caterpillar are real, current valuation appears to price in aggressive growth that may be unrealistic — a caution for multiple expansion and a potential cap on further upside if growth slows. Caterpillar: Data Center Tailwinds Are Real, But Valuation Assumes Unrealistic Growth

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. The trade was a 22.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total transaction of $5,750,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at $26,142,227.60. The trade was a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 135,950 shares of company stock valued at $94,327,990 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $701.38 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $789.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50 day moving average is $703.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $597.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $326.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.27, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.14 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

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.