Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Shares Down 1.3% Following Insider Selling

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) fell 1.3% on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $750.00 and last traded at $764.27. 3,438,203 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 15% from the average session volume of 2,990,756 shares. The stock had previously closed at $774.20.

Specifically, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $776.90, for a total transaction of $6,130,517.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,236,946.70. The trade was a 14.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Wolfe Research raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $470.00 to $670.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 2nd. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 price target on Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $702.95.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar completed the acquisition of mining software firm RPMGlobal, expanding its data‑driven mining technology and software portfolio—a strategic move to boost recurring, higher‑margin services and digital solutions revenue. Caterpillar Bolsters Mining Technology Solutions with RPMGlobal Acquisition
• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage highlights Caterpillar’s exposure to data‑center power and electrification demand—an attractive, long‑term growth market that could diversify revenue beyond heavy equipment. High‑tech data centers get a powerful assist from a century‑old company
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar presented at Barclays’ industrial conference; the transcript may contain management commentary on demand, margins and capital allocation—useful for guidance but not an immediate earnings surprise. Barclays 43rd Annual Industrial Select Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and feature pieces (Zacks, MarketBeat) are raising investor attention and highlighting Caterpillar vs. peers; this can affect sentiment and flows but doesn’t change fundamentals immediately. Caterpillar vs. Deere: Which Equipment Stock is a Better Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sales: Chief Accounting Officer William Schaupp sold 972 shares (filed with the SEC), reducing his stake significantly—multiple insider disposals can spook investors. SEC Filing – William E. Schaupp Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 1,764 shares (≈55% cut of his holding); another material insider reduction that can add short‑term selling pressure. SEC Filing – Rodney Michael Shurman Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Senior insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares (~$6.13M at ~\$776.90), trimming his position ~14.5%; a large, recent sale that investors often interpret as a near‑term negative signal. SEC Filing – Anthony D. Fassino Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered Q2 EPS estimates for Caterpillar, indicating softer near‑term earnings expectations—this analyst downgrade pressure can weigh on the stock until guidance or results change the outlook. Q2 EPS Estimates Lowered by Zacks Research

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.5%

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $643.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $548.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $350.35 billion, a PE ratio of 40.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

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 return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.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 firm earned $5.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,385,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,572,681,000 after acquiring an additional 442,164 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Caterpillar by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,388,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,273,039,000 after purchasing an additional 385,204 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,610,182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,072,572,000 after purchasing an additional 94,524 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,493,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,438,408,000 after purchasing an additional 54,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,738,802 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,860,457,000 after purchasing an additional 928,974 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company 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.