Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Bought by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 95,917 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,313 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises approximately 0.7% of QRG Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $67,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Burford Brothers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. now owns 4,025 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,851,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Simplify Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth $407,000. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 3.3% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 46,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,219,000 after buying an additional 1,479 shares during the period. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 1.8% in the first quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 7,664 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,430,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altus Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 15.3% in the first quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 649 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 49,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,236,615.75. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $949.41.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on Caterpillar to $1,218 from $1,043 and kept a buy rating, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock’s earnings and growth outlook. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Caterpillar as a momentum, long-term, and “trending” stock, suggesting investor interest remains strong and could help keep shares elevated. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators pointed to Caterpillar’s role in powering data centers and other AI-related infrastructure, a theme that has helped explain the stock’s strong run. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar also received fresh praise for strong backlog, earnings growth, and long-term expansion plans, which supports the case for continued upside. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar announced a $5 million investment in Texas workforce training and manufacturing education, a positive long-term initiative but not likely a major near-term stock driver. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street analyst coverage remains broadly optimistic, with multiple articles noting favorable average brokerage recommendations, though these do not always translate into reliable signals. Article Link
• Negative Sentiment: Michael Burry disclosed a first-ever short position in Caterpillar, arguing the stock’s AI-linked rally may have stretched valuation too far; that news is likely the main source of pressure on shares today. Article Link

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT opened at $965.44 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $918.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $769.03. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $388.09 and a 52-week high of $1,073.46. The company has a market cap of $444.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.06, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The business had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.06%.

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.