Equitable Trust Co. Sells 561 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Equitable Trust Co. reduced its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,052 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 561 shares during the quarter. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $9,196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% during 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 in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $904.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $749.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $659.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $318.11 and a 12-month high of $908.90. The company has a market capitalization of $416.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The business had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 23.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.06%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the transaction, the insider owned 79,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,574,954.83. This represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total value of $1,730,391.58. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,443 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,117.23. This represents a 61.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 49,736 shares of company stock worth $37,401,255. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 price objective on Caterpillar and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $960.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $860.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted 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, DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $878.91.

Caterpillar News Roundup

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 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.