HighTower Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 662,733 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,586 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $316,227,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $2,165,899,000. Groupe la Francaise boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 82.0% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,820,000 after purchasing an additional 12,278 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in Caterpillar by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after buying an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 155.9% during the third quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $21,014,000 after buying an additional 28,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth $8,893,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Caterpillar News

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $702.00 to $756.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $702.95.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,033 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.15, for a total transaction of $4,356,730.95. Following the sale, the insider owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,717,194.65. This represents a 12.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at $26,142,227.60. The trade was a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 130,545 shares of company stock valued at $88,294,733 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $774.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $634.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $541.22. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $789.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $362.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.58.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. 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.