State of Michigan Retirement System Sells 1,200 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

State of Michigan Retirement System reduced its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 133,872 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $63,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthShield Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% in the third quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. one8zero8 LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 619 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 3,214 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.8% during the third quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC now owns 1,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $557,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.3% during the third quarter. Yarger Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 649 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $678.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their price target on Caterpillar from $710.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $708.00 to $735.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $677.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $690.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 10,707 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the insider owned 8,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,874,576.40. This represents a 55.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total transaction of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,142,227.60. The trade was a 18.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 120,747 shares of company stock valued at $78,324,008 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and revenue/backlog strength — CAT reported revenue and EPS above expectations and highlighted a record backlog that supports near‑term revenue visibility. Zacks: Post Q4 analysis
• Positive Sentiment: AI / data‑center tailwind — Coverage highlights growing demand for power and infrastructure tied to AI data‑center buildouts, which is a new revenue catalyst beyond traditional equipment cycles. Yahoo: AI data centers
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade & higher price target — HSBC raised its CAT target to $850 and maintained a buy rating, adding upward pressure to the stock. MarketScreener: HSBC PT raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Market momentum helped lift the name — CAT was one of the contributors to the Dow’s rally today, so some of the move is broad market/sector strength rather than company‑specific news. MSN: Dow soars
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate — Multiple writeups note that CAT’s rerating has pushed valuation to a premium, framing risk/reward even as fundamentals improve. This shapes investor caution but doesn’t change the underlying backlog/earnings. MarketBeat: Valuation piece
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling — Several senior insiders disclosed multi‑million dollar stock sales (e.g., Denise C. Johnson, Bob De Lange), which can signal profit‑taking and may create short‑term selling pressure. InsiderTrades: Insider sales
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution on pace of growth — CFRA and others warn that while financials are strong, underlying growth may not be fast enough to justify some of the recent extreme share‑price moves; that comment tempers the rally. YouTube: CFRA caution

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $726.38 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $727.40. The company has a fifty day moving average of $617.15 and a 200-day moving average of $528.99. The company has a market capitalization of $339.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.58. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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. 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 presently 32.09%.

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.