Andrew Bonfield Sells 10,000 Shares of Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) CFO Andrew Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total transaction of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at $26,142,227.60. This trade represents a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT traded up $19.07 on Monday, hitting $617.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,143,244 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,417,660. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $574.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $486.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $627.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $288.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The industrial products company reported $4.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.52 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $17.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.72 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.34% and a return on equity of 47.16%. The business’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.17 EPS. Research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 31.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “mixed” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price 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. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $560.00 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $485.00 to $555.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $618.70.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar will keynote and demo Industrial AI and autonomy at CES 2026 — a visible signal to investors that the company is pushing into AI/data‑center related power and automation markets, supporting growth narratives. Caterpillar to Showcase Next Era in Industrial AI and Autonomy at CES 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research raised its price target on CAT to $670, adding upside to the stock and providing a catalyst for buyers who follow broker targets. Wolfe Research Boosts Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Price Target to $670.00
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces list CAT among “wide‑moat” stocks, reinforcing the long‑term investment case based on scale, pricing power and recurring aftermarket/service revenue. (This supports buy‑and‑hold demand from quality‑focused investors.) Top Wide-Moat Stocks to Buy for Steady Long-Term Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles revisiting CAT after its big 2025 run highlight the company’s record backlog (roughly $39.9B) and data‑center driven power demand, which improve revenue visibility but also raise valuation questions. After A 58% Run In 2025, Is Caterpillar Stock Still A Buy In 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta coverage and analyst blogs note that CAT’s 2025 surge leaves it under more scrutiny in 2026 despite strong orders and revenue growth — useful context but not an immediate price driver. The Zacks Analyst Blog Caterpillar, Komatsu and Terex
• Neutral Sentiment: General market commentary on whether Wall Street’s bullish views justify fresh buys — informative for sentiment but not a direct company development. Is It Worth Investing in Caterpillar (CAT) Based on Wall Street’s Bullish Views?
• Neutral Sentiment: Human‑interest / local content (estate‑sale video about an old Caterpillar loader) is irrelevant to fundamentals. Estate sale discovery: Abandoned Caterpillar 955L track loader in a field – Part 1
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha note downgraded CAT to “Hold,” arguing the stock has already captured much of the upside and technicals point to consolidation ahead of Q4 results — a near‑term selling trigger for momentum traders. Caterpillar Roars On AI Power Demand, But Easy Money Has Been Made (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: An institutional investor (Asset Management One) trimmed a small position in CAT — a minor negative signal but not large enough to indicate broad selling by major holders. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Reduces Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Caterpillar

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 36,842.1% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,299,751 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,833,836,000 after acquiring an additional 7,279,991 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth $2,165,899,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,228,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,494,568,000 after buying an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1,851.8% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,830,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $873,382,000 after buying an additional 1,736,631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Caterpillar by 546.6% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 843,093 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $327,297,000 after acquiring an additional 712,711 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.