Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stock Holdings Lessened by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 30.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,720 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,190 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Pacific Point Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,688,000 after acquiring an additional 2,519 shares in the last quarter. LBP AM SA grew its position in Caterpillar by 8.2% in the second quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 3,835 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,489,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 6,229 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,418,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trilogy Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Trilogy Capital Inc. now owns 762 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wolfe Research increased their price target on Caterpillar from $470.00 to $670.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $730.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $612.00 to $680.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $557.00 to $630.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $640.95.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar beat Q4 estimates and posted record quarterly revenue — adjusted EPS $5.16 vs. consensus ~$4.67 and revenue $19.1B (up ~18% YoY), supporting upside to near-term earnings expectations. Caterpillar Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: AI/data‑center buildouts are a clear demand driver: power and energy sales (generators, engines, services) surged as hyperscale operators buy long‑lived infrastructure rather than short‑cycle construction gear. Strategic deals (e.g., 2 GW purchase for Monarch compute campus) underscore multi‑year revenue visibility. AIP Corp Strategic Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation and capital return: full‑year operating cash flow was robust and management deployed ~$7.9B for buybacks/dividends in 2025 — supports EPS accretion and shareholder return profile. Financials & Cash Flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Market perception is shifting — several outlets frame CAT as a surprise AI play (data center power + services), which can re-rate the stock but also raises expectations for sustained high growth. Investopedia AI coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Caterpillar flagged an estimated $2.6B tariff impact for 2026, which management says will compress margins and reduce profit — a material headwind investors must price into 2026 earnings. Reuters: Tariff Hit
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and profitability face pressure from higher tariffs and investment spending (R&D/automation/service expansion) despite top‑line strength — watch margin trends in coming quarters. Benzinga: Tariffs Impact Margins

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $663.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $602.18 and its 200-day moving average is $517.31. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $679.99. The company has a market cap of $310.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.08, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 47.16% and a net margin of 14.34%.The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.01%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $563.60, for a total value of $6,034,465.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,874,576.40. This represents a 55.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $568.86 per share, for a total transaction of $170,658.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 7,947 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,520,730.42. This trade represents a 3.92% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 54,729 shares of company stock worth $31,084,308. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.