Merrithew & Thorsten Inc Makes New $931,000 Investment in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Merrithew & Thorsten Inc purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 1,625 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $931,000. Caterpillar comprises approximately 1.0% of Merrithew & Thorsten Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 681 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $390,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Security Financial Services INC. raised its position in Caterpillar by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 3,609 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,068,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Purus Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Purus Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. KWB Wealth raised its position in Caterpillar by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. KWB Wealth now owns 549 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montecito Bank & Trust raised its position in Caterpillar by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 3,362 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,926,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $677.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Truist Financial set a $1,043.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $890.27.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.1%

CAT stock opened at $896.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $755.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $664.91. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $323.31 and a 52 week high of $931.35. The company has a market capitalization of $412.75 billion, a PE ratio of 44.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 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 business had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.25 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 30.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total transaction of $14,399,860.54. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,935 shares in the company, valued at $48,631,913.85. This represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 5,642 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $883.03, for a total transaction of $4,982,055.26. Following the sale, the insider owned 9,594 shares in the company, valued at $8,471,789.82. The trade was a 37.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 75,734 shares of company stock valued at $67,054,613 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar’s latest quarterly results were stronger than expected, with EPS and revenue both topping estimates and construction equipment revenue rising sharply, reinforcing the case for solid demand and backlog strength. Caterpillar Reports 38% Boost to Construction Equipment Revenue for Q1 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised price targets on CAT after the better-than-expected quarter, including Argus and HSBC, which is helping support bullish sentiment around the stock. Argus Raises Caterpillar Price Target HSBC Raises Caterpillar Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Media coverage continues to frame Caterpillar as a beneficiary of AI and data-center power demand, broadening the company’s growth narrative beyond traditional construction and mining markets. Industrial-Strength Rally: Why Caterpillar Is Up 53%…
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary points to very long equipment lead times, which suggests sustained demand and potential pricing power ahead. Archrock reaffirms outlook as Caterpillar lead times near 160
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar also opened registration for a global innovation challenge, signaling continued investment in workforce development and technology, though this is more of a longer-term strategic positive than an immediate stock driver. Caterpillar Opens Registration for Global Innovation Challenge
• Neutral Sentiment: Some firms raised targets while keeping Neutral ratings, suggesting Wall Street sees upside, but also believes a lot of good news may already be reflected in the stock after its big run. DA Davidson Raises Caterpillar Target Following Better-Than-Expected Quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Heavy media attention and elevated trading interest may be adding volatility, but these factors do not change Caterpillar’s underlying business fundamentals. Do Options Traders Know Something About Caterpillar Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders, including the CFO, disclosed sizable stock sales, which can weigh on sentiment and raise concerns about whether the recent rally is prompting profit-taking. CFO insider sale SEC filing Insider sale (Shurman) SEC filing

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.