Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) CEO Joseph Creed Sells 2,500 Shares

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) CEO Joseph Creed sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 35,083 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,222,221.19. This represents a 6.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded down $14.62 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $691.46. The stock had a trading volume of 1,340,498 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,937,783. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $679.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $572.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $321.73 billion, a PE ratio of 36.74, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.54. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $267.30 and a 12 month high of $789.81. 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 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 analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th were issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $825 and kept a Buy rating, signaling analyst conviction and providing upside potential. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target on Caterpillar to $825
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis argues CAT is well positioned for long-term gains—citing cyclical recovery, industrial policy tailwinds and above-consensus earnings—supporting buy-and-hold investors. Why Caterpillar is a Top Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece highlights a thematic catalyst: CAT can benefit from AI-driven on-site power demand (localized generation), an underappreciated growth vector beyond traditional construction/oil cycles. Caterpillar: Everyone Is Betting On AI Bottlenecks
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting a near-term analyst upgrade pushed intraday buying in some sessions (reported ~1.5% uptick after upgrade), showing that positive analyst actions can move the stock. Caterpillar Stock Price Up After Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Viral product/PR stories — Caterpillar built a real yellow pickup truck after an AI-generated image circulated; concept smart pickup and heavy-duty truck concept coverage raise brand and innovation visibility but have limited near-term financial impact. Caterpillar Built a Yellow Pickup After an AI Image Went Viral
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional product/concept write-ups and human-interest items (truck concept, smart pickup not for sale, operator competition win) boost brand/marketing but are unlikely to move earnings in the near term. Caterpillar’s New Heavy-Duty Truck Concept
• Neutral Sentiment: Transcript on strategy and leadership transition in Construction Industries — important for medium-term execution but uncertain immediate share impact. Caterpillar Discusses New Strategy and Leadership Transition
• Negative Sentiment: Several market reports explain the stock dipped more than the market today and contributed to a large Dow decline — headline-driven selling and profit-taking amplified downside. Why Caterpillar Dipped More Than Broader Market Today
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary raising valuation concerns describes CAT as high-quality but at an “extreme valuation,” which can trigger multiple contraction risk if growth expectations slip. Caterpillar: High-Quality Cyclical With Extreme Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch highlights that losses in CAT shares were a major drag on the Dow’s multi-hundred-point fall, reinforcing that large-cap positioning can magnify moves. Dow Falls 910 Points on Losses in Shares of Caterpillar

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,165,899,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in Caterpillar by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise raised its stake in Caterpillar by 82.0% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,820,000 after buying an additional 12,278 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 155.9% during the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,014,000 after buying an additional 28,773 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth $8,893,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $724.81.

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.