Gabelli Funds LLC Cuts Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Gabelli Funds LLC cut its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 101,152 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,840 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $48,265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CAT. WealthShield Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $535,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. one8zero8 LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. one8zero8 LLC now owns 619 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the third quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 3,214 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Cyr Financial Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 2.5% during the third quarter. Cyr Financial Inc. now owns 811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $387,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perennial Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the third quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $821,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $681.31 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $681.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $574.20. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $789.81. The company has a market capitalization of $317.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.54.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th were given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $710.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $724.81.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price‑target upgrades from Jefferies and Oppenheimer lift longer‑term outlooks — Jefferies raised its target to $825 and Oppenheimer to $817, both keeping buy/outperform views, signaling near‑20% upside versus current levels. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals remain supportive: Caterpillar beat revenue and EPS expectations in its last report (strong margins and revenue growth), which underpins analyst bullishness and medium‑term earnings expectations. Analyst Upgrade Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Joseph Creed sold 2,500 shares (filed with the SEC), a small reduction in insider holdings that may be interpreted as routine liquidity rather than a signal of deteriorating fundamentals. SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive PR and brand buzz from a viral AI image and Caterpillar’s real pickup concept give the company free publicity and may support equipment‑brand equity, but have limited immediate revenue impact. Caterpillar Built a Yellow Pickup
• Negative Sentiment: Large intraday losses in CAT helped drive sharp Dow declines and reflect heavy profit‑taking and macro risk sentiment; that market stress is the main reason the stock is down today. Dow Falls Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary on valuation labels Caterpillar as a high‑quality but highly valued cyclical, which could amplify downside if macro or industrial demand weakens. Valuation Critique
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage noting the stock’s day‑over‑day dip highlights short‑term momentum weakness and heavier intraday volume, contributing to negative price action. Why CAT Dipped

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total transaction of $1,730,391.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,443 shares in the company, valued at $1,096,117.23. This trade represents a 61.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total value of $1,797,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 35,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,222,221.19. This represents a 6.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 135,950 shares of company stock valued at $94,327,990. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.