Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Insider Denise Johnson Sells 39,138 Shares of Stock

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) insider Denise Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total value of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,524,818. This trade represents a 47.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $692.01 on Thursday. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $723.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $323.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.77, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.58. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $612.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $525.73.

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

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 32.09%.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,165,899,000. Groupe la Francaise increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 82.0% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,820,000 after acquiring an additional 12,278 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its stake in 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 worth $21,014,000 after purchasing an additional 28,773 shares during the period. ZEGA Investments LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 149.6% during the 3rd quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC now owns 4,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 2,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palmer Knight Co acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at $5,884,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer boosted 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $678.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, January 30th. HSBC upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $405.00 to $660.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $470.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $681.86.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and data‑center tailwind — CAT reported Q4 revenue and EPS above estimates, driven by Power & Energy strength as data‑center buildouts boosted demand for turbines and backup power. That underpins near‑term earnings momentum and revenue visibility. Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifting targets and reiterating buys — Multiple firms raised price targets (e.g., Rothschild & Co Redburn raised to $700) and several banks kept/raised positive ratings, creating additional upside catalysts. Rothschild PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Record backlog and multi‑year growth plan — Management cites a ~$51B backlog and guidance for 5–7% annual sales through 2030 plus a 25% increase in 2026 capex to expand capacity, which supports conversion of backlog into revenue over time. MarketBeat Backlog Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns narrative — Coverage highlighting strong free‑cash‑flow and large capital returns (dividends/repurchases) supports investor appetite for the stock. Forbes on Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic tech partnership — Caterpillar awarded a multi‑year infrastructure modernization engagement to ACI; operationally useful but unlikely to materially move near‑term revenue. ACI Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate — Coverage notes CAT’s strong run and asks whether shares are rich after the rally; this frames the risk/reward debate for investors but doesn’t change fundamentals immediately. Valuation Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling — Several senior insiders disclosed multi‑million‑dollar sales (e.g., Denise C. Johnson, Anthony Fassino, Bob De Lange) that meaningfully trimmed their holdings; while such sales can be routine, the size of the disposals can fuel short‑term selling or signal profit‑taking at current highs. Insider Sale 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.