Curbstone Financial Management Corp Boosts Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Curbstone Financial Management Corp increased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 82.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,152 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the period. Curbstone Financial Management Corp’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,292,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares during the period. United Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 108.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 4,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Caterpillar by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,551,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 572,165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $222,120,000 after buying an additional 34,846 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. DA Davidson raised their target price on Caterpillar from $845.00 to $882.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $930.00 to $989.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,125.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $995.52.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $856.82 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $405.46 and a 12-month high of $1,073.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $393.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $915.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $826.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. The business had revenue of $20.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.34 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.51% and a return on equity of 55.53%. The company’s revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.72 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 26.56 earnings per share 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 issued a $1.63 dividend. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 28.06%.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar ended the second quarter with a record $72 billion backlog, signaling sustained demand for heavy equipment and supporting the company’s upgraded 2026 sales outlook. Growth is reportedly broad-based across major business segments. CAT Ends Q2 With Record Backlog: Is Demand Momentum Here to Stay?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded CAT from “hold” to “strong-buy,” adding to the favorable analyst sentiment surrounding the shares. The company’s average brokerage recommendation is also equivalent to “buy.” Zacks Research rating
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results provide fundamental support: Caterpillar reported revenue of $20.54 billion, up 23.7% year over year, and earnings of $8.17 per share, well above consensus expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain cautiously optimistic. Caterpillar has outperformed the broader market over the past year, but consensus views already anticipate that the recent revenue boom will moderate. Do Wall Street Analysts Like Caterpillar Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: One analysis argues that Caterpillar’s elevated valuation will depend increasingly on margin improvement rather than continued backlog growth. If revenue growth fades without stronger profitability, the stock’s valuation could remain difficult to justify. Caterpillar’s Falling Multiple Rests On Margin, Not Its Backlog
• Negative Sentiment: The bullish brokerage consensus may be less informative because sell-side analysts often issue overly optimistic recommendations. Investors may therefore focus more on execution, margins and backlog conversion than on the average rating alone. Brokers Suggest Investing in Caterpillar

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.