Ritholtz Wealth Management Boosts Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,546 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $8,883,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in Caterpillar by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 28,773 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $8,893,000. ZEGA Investments LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 149.6% during the third quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC now owns 4,184 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,996,000 after acquiring an additional 2,508 shares during the period. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.5% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $79,053,000 after acquiring an additional 4,010 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar named veteran finance executive Kyle Epley as incoming CFO (effective May 1), an internal succession that reduces transition risk and preserves continuity in financial strategy. Caterpillar Names Veteran Executive Kyle Epley as CFO
• Positive Sentiment: Company messaging and coverage highlight record quarterly and full‑year results and a strong backlog — supporting revenue/earnings momentum that underpins the stock move. Caterpillar CFO Change Highlights Record Results And Valuation Questions
• Positive Sentiment: Earlier dividend action prompted a sharp intraday rally (reports showed a ~6.5% move after the announcement), underscoring management’s shareholder‑friendly posture. Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Trading Up 6.5% After Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts (Zacks and others) nudged up near‑term EPS forecasts and reiterated longer‑term upside cases, which supports estimates and reduces uncertainty around upcoming quarters. Why Caterpillar (CAT) is a Top Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile bullish commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer) has amplified investor interest and momentum in the shares. Jim Cramer Believes “CAT Is One of the Most Viable Stocks”
• Neutral Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein raised its price target to $769 but kept a “market perform” rating — a mixed signal: higher PT but no upgrade to outperform. Bernstein adjusts price target on Caterpillar to $769
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cyclicality remain risks: coverage notes high valuation metrics (elevated P/E) and dependence on metals/mining and energy cycles — a sharp downturn in those end markets could hit demand and the share price. Caterpillar CFO Change Highlights Record Results And Valuation Questions

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total transaction of $1,797,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 35,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,222,221.19. This represents a 6.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 125,950 shares of company stock worth $88,577,390 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. HSBC raised their target price on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Truist Financial raised their target price on Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised their target price on Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $741.68.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $790.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $367.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.01, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.52. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $282.46 and a twelve month high of $797.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $726.61 and a 200 day moving average of $623.25.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.09%.

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.