Vanguard Group Inc. Reduces Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 45,943,021 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 116,596 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Caterpillar worth $21,921,713,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI/data-center demand — Reports note that AI-driven capital expenditures (hyperscaler data-center construction and mining electrification) are boosting demand for large construction and mining equipment, a structural tailwind for Caterpillar’s sales and backlog. Caterpillar Rides AI Data Center Boom With Priced In Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target lift — Bank of America raised its price target (and an upgrade triggered a new 1‑year high mention), adding buy-side momentum and validating higher valuations for CAT. Bank of America Raises Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target to $825.00
• Positive Sentiment: Upgraded earnings estimates — Zacks refreshed its model, raising Q1 and multi‑year EPS forecasts for CAT (FY2026–FY2028), which supports higher forward earnings multiples and gives investors conviction about near‑term profitability. The Zacks Analyst Alphabet, Caterpillar,T-Mobile US and Onfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Market leadership / headline performance — Coverage and headlines highlight CAT as a top contributor to the Dow’s gains, which can attract momentum flows and index-related buying. Why Caterpillar’s Stock Is Benefiting From the AI Boom
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro data mixed — Recent reports show stronger January jobs but downward revisions to 2025 job growth and lingering inflation above 2%. That creates uncertainty around Fed policy; durable capex demand can offset tighter monetary risk, but macro backdrop remains a cross‑current. Wall Street Roundup: Economic Data, Earnings Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad market momentum — Commentary about the Dow passing 50,000 and an AI‑led bull market supports risk appetite broadly, which benefits cyclical industrials like CAT but may also price in further outperformance. Dow 50,000 Shows This AI-Led Bull Market Has Plenty Of Room To Run
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/“priced-in” concerns and stock-specific risks — Some coverage warns that much of the AI benefit is already reflected in CAT’s share price and flags potential red flags (valuation, execution risk, or reliance on cyclical capex), which could amplify pullbacks if growth disappoints. Watch Out For These Red Flags In CAT Stock

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, February 6th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Evercore lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $476.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $729.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $702.95.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 79,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This represents a 22.08% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 130,545 shares of company stock worth $88,294,733. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE CAT opened at $774.37 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $789.81. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $634.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $541.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $362.39 billion, a PE ratio of 41.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.58.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.09%.

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.