MidFirst Bank Makes New Investment in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 27,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,577,000. Caterpillar makes up 1.2% of MidFirst Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 3,949.8% in 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. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,225,317,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 573.1% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $861,947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281,087 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,738,802 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,860,457,000 after purchasing an additional 928,974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 8,359.6% in the 4th quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 513,754 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $294,314,000 after purchasing an additional 507,681 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total value of $11,444,205.55. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $906.00, for a total value of $326,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 530 shares in the company, valued at $480,180. This trade represents a 40.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $769.00 to $879.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $1,125.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $935.09.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Caterpillar to $1,165 from $1,125 and reiterated an overweight rating, reinforcing a bullish analyst outlook for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts currently view Caterpillar as a “Moderate Buy,” suggesting Wall Street remains constructive on the company’s earnings and growth prospects.
• Positive Sentiment: Several writeups highlight Caterpillar as a blue-chip name benefiting from strong market momentum, with the stock featured among top industrial and Dow stocks to watch.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest is also being supported by Caterpillar’s recent dividend hike, which signals confidence in cash flow and capital returns.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around Caterpillar’s growing power generation business and its exposure to AI data-center infrastructure is improving the long-term growth story. Article: Caterpillar (CAT) Is Recasting Its Growth Story With A $63 Billion AI Backlog
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles are simply repeating recent market strength and record-high Dow leadership, which supports sentiment but does not add new company-specific information.
• Negative Sentiment: One article references a legal/political dispute over the SEC’s Consolidated Audit Trail, but this appears to concern the CAT data system rather than Caterpillar Inc., so it is not a meaningful fundamental driver for the stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $987.79 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $870.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $738.63. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $357.73 and a 12-month high of $994.49. The firm has a market cap of $454.97 billion, a PE ratio of 49.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The firm had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.62 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.06%.

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.