Providence First Trust Co Boosts Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Providence First Trust Co raised its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 229.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,872 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares during the period. Providence First Trust Co’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,072,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,688,000 after acquiring an additional 2,519 shares during the period. United Bank raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 108.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 4,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after acquiring an additional 2,125 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 6.5% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 572,165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $222,120,000 after purchasing an additional 34,846 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on Caterpillar from $905.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Caterpillar from $960.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $677.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $878.91.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and outlook: CAT posted a sizable Q1 beat, with revenue and EPS above estimates and rising backlog, which underpins management’s constructive outlook and is a primary driver of investor enthusiasm. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold Caterpillar Stock Post Q1 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price target lift: Argus raised its price target to $990 and maintained a buy rating, providing fresh analyst support that helps justify higher multiples. Argus adjusts price target on Caterpillar to $990
• Positive Sentiment: AI / data?center narrative: Multiple outlets are framing Caterpillar as an AI?infrastructure beneficiary (power, generators, hyperscale demand), which has re-rated the stock and attracted momentum buying. This thematic shift is amplifying gains beyond cyclical construction/mining drivers. Industrial-Strength Rally: Why Caterpillar Is Up 53%…
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate wins / tech sales: Carmeuse selected Caterpillar’s autonomous hauling solution (adoption of CAT autonomy in mining/quarrying) and Cat’s electric power products are gaining spotlight—both support incremental revenue and product diversification. Carmeuse selects Caterpillar’s autonomous hauling solution
• Positive Sentiment: Director buy: Director David Maclennan purchased 250 shares, a modest insider buy that provides a supportive signal to investors. SEC filing: Director purchase
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst posture: DA Davidson raised its price target but maintained a neutral rating, suggesting some analysts see limited near?term upside from current levels. DA Davidson adjusts price target on Caterpillar to $845
• Neutral Sentiment: Options and media attention: Rising options activity and extensive media coverage (trending pieces, Zacks features) are increasing short?term volatility and attention but don’t change fundamentals by themselves. Do Options Traders Know Something About Caterpillar Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: An insider (Jason Kaiser) sold 5,642 shares for roughly $5M, trimming his position by ~37%, which some investors may view as a cautionary signal despite other positive indicators. SEC filing: Insider sale

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $904.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $749.76 and a 200-day moving average of $659.59. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $318.11 and a 52-week high of $908.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $416.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.03, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company had revenue of $17.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 23.68 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 currently 30.06%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 35,083 shares in the company, valued at $25,222,221.19. This trade represents a 6.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total value of $1,730,391.58. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,443 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,117.23. This represents a 61.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 49,736 shares of company stock valued at $37,401,255. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by 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.