Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Sells 4,484 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 90,431 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 4,484 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $43,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CAT. LOM Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.1% in the third quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd now owns 5,452 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,601,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Integrity Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $213,000. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,719 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $821,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 36,303 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $17,322,000 after buying an additional 5,874 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.7% in the third quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 5,471 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,686,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $729.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Evercore increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $476.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Sixteen 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $717.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the transaction, the insider owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares of the firm’s 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 in the company, valued at $36,236,946.70. This trade represents a 14.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 133,450 shares of company stock worth $92,530,665 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $860 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling strong analyst conviction that CAT has upside from current levels. JPMorgan raises price target on Caterpillar
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar showcased AI, autonomy and connected-jobsite initiatives at CONEXPO (including a concept pickup and new compact equipment), reinforcing a growth narrative tied to higher‑margin tech and aftermarket opportunities. CONEXPO tech push meets pricy but momentum backed shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar’s recent quarterly results showed record Q4 revenue and an EPS beat, supporting the company’s fundamental strength even as investors debate valuation. (Company results and analyst estimates remain supportive of earnings growth.)
• Neutral Sentiment: The company discussed a new construction strategy and leadership transition in a recent industry transcript — items that matter for medium-term execution but are not an immediate catalyst. Caterpillar discusses new strategy and leadership transition
• Negative Sentiment: Today’s pullback was amplified by broad market weakness: losses in Caterpillar were a notable contributor to a large Dow decline as investors rotated out of recent winners (profit‑taking). Dow falls 910 points on losses in shares of Caterpillar, Goldman Sachs
• Negative Sentiment: Several commentators and research pieces flag CAT’s premium valuation relative to cyclicals, arguing the stock already prices in much of the industrial recovery — a headwind for near-term upside. Caterpillar: High-quality cyclical with an extreme valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Headline coverage noting that CAT “dipped more than the broader market” highlights the stock-specific selling pressure and higher volume, suggesting today’s move was partly stock‑specific rather than purely market-driven. Why Caterpillar dipped more than broader market today

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $706.40 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $789.81. The company has a market cap of $328.68 billion, a PE ratio of 37.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $679.50 and a 200-day moving average of $572.33. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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