Wedbush Securities Inc. Reduces Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Wedbush Securities Inc. lessened its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,426 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,617 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $7,838,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CAT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at $2,165,899,000. Groupe la Francaise boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 82.0% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,820,000 after buying an additional 12,278 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 155.9% during the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,014,000 after acquiring an additional 28,773 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $8,893,000. Finally, ZEGA Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 149.6% in the third quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC now owns 4,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,996,000 after acquiring an additional 2,508 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 41,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. The trade was a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 130,545 shares of company stock valued at $88,294,733. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $774.01 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $362.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.13, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $775.54. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $627.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $536.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.14 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 32.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. HSBC upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on Caterpillar from $710.00 to $760.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $702.95.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on Caterpillar to $825 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling stronger analyst confidence that supports further upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Argus increased its price target to $820 (from $625) and kept a buy rating — another independent upgrade that reinforces bullish sentiment and helped push CAT to fresh highs. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade commentary has driven CAT to a new one-year high, reflecting momentum from multiple broker upgrades and earnings that beat expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple stories highlight Caterpillar as an unexpected AI beneficiary — AI-enabled equipment, telematics and productivity software are reframing its growth story and supporting higher valuation multiples. Read More. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar reported strong top-line momentum (EquipmentWorld: 18% rise in Q4 revenue), which underpins the upgrades and the bullish analyst tone. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Industry coverage cites CAT as well positioned to benefit from large infrastructure markets (e.g., India), adding a structural demand backdrop to near-term catalysts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity: Allegheny Financial Group modestly increased its stake, a small buy-side vote but not a large position shift. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor relations activity: CFO Andrew Bonfield will appear at the Barclays Industrial Select Conference next week — an opportunity for management to reinforce the outlook but not an immediate earnings update. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Executives Lange Bob De S. and Anthony Fassino reported stock sales (collectively ~28,689 shares), which can temper sentiment even if not large relative to overall float. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Cost pressure: coverage notes higher tariff costs alongside revenue growth, which could compress margins if tariffs persist or escalate. Read More.

Caterpillar Company 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.