Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Buys 2,443 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 17.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,799 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 2,443 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $9,624,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 47.4% in the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC raised its position in Caterpillar by 140.0% during the fourth quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on CAT. Barclays increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $700.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. HSBC upped their target price on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $756.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $737.55.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research raised its price target to $750 and kept an “outperform” rating, giving investors a notable sell‑side endorsement that supports buying interest. Wolfe Research Raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: CAT recently moved above its 50‑day moving average on rising revenue/estimate momentum — a technical breakout that often attracts momentum traders. Analysts point to record revenues and a strong backlog underpinning the move. Zacks: Above 50‑Day SMA
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals cited by social/analyst coverage highlight a roughly $50B order backlog and solid revenue growth, reinforcing expectations for multi‑quarter demand resilience. That supports upside expectations for sales and cash flow. QuiverQuant: Backlog & Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Broader market strength and a rally in industrial names helped lift CAT as part of a Dow advance tied to easing geopolitical headlines and stabilized oil prices. MSN: Dow Rally
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its target to $700 but kept an “equal weight” rating — a mixed signal that tempers the upside from other upgrades. Barclays PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Changes in U.S. tax law are reducing Caterpillar’s federal cash tax payments (positive for cash flow) while increasing its reported book tax rate, which could cloud year‑over‑year EPS comparisons. Yahoo: Tax Shift
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased media and analyst coverage (Zacks, Yahoo pieces) has put CAT on many watchlists — attention that can amplify moves in either direction. Zacks: Investor Attention
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn of margin pressure from tariffs and higher costs — revenue growth is solid but profit margins have compressed, which could limit upside to earnings multiple expansion. Zacks: Margin Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling and some large institutional position reductions have been reported, which can be interpreted as caution from certain insiders/institutions even amid broader buying. QuiverQuant: Insider & Institutional Moves

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.1%

NYSE CAT opened at $730.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $339.92 billion, a PE ratio of 38.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.52. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $789.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $712.35 and a 200-day moving average of $610.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The business 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%.Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.14 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, 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 transaction, the insider owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 6.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.