Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Purchased by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Heartland Bank & Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 48.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,252 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,032 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up 1.5% of Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,555,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cornerstone Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Resource Group raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $935,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 1.1% in the first quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC now owns 1,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $825,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sylvest Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Sylvest Advisors LLC now owns 377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,043.00 to $1,218.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Caterpillar from $1,125.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $1,020.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $930.00 to $989.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $980.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total value of $22,354,968.24. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 86,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. This trade represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total value of $11,444,205.55. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst updates turned incrementally more optimistic on Caterpillar’s earnings outlook, with Erste Group Bank and Zacks Research lifting FY2026, FY2027, FY2028 and several quarterly EPS estimates. Higher profit expectations can support the stock by reinforcing the view that CAT’s long-term demand and pricing power remain solid.
• Positive Sentiment: Several commentary pieces highlighted Caterpillar as a leading industrial and equipment name versus peers like Volvo, citing stronger earnings momentum, rising estimates, and long-term growth tied to infrastructure, electrification, automation, and AI data-center buildout demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage noted Wall Street is expecting Caterpillar’s upcoming Q2 2026 report to show another double-digit profit increase, which keeps investor attention focused on whether results can justify the stock’s premium valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Caterpillar as a high-quality company with a strong brand and global dealer network, but also warned that the valuation looks rich. That limits near-term upside unless earnings growth continues to outpace expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Caterpillar was also mentioned in broader market weakness and “AI selloff” coverage, and Zacks Research downgraded the stock from strong-buy to hold. That suggests some investors are becoming more cautious after the recent run-up.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.5%

Caterpillar stock opened at $881.26 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $405.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.87, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $405.46 and a fifty-two week high of $1,073.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $931.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $793.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.06%.

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.