Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by First Merchants Corp

First Merchants Corp decreased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 5.3% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,019 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 556 shares during the period. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $7,098,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in 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 in the last quarter. United Bank grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 108.5% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 4,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.9% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 6.5% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 572,165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $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.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar was highlighted by Zacks as one of five non-tech “wide moat” stocks to own for a stable second half of 2026, reinforcing the view that CAT has durable competitive advantages and can be a defensive portfolio holding. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles noted that CAT was one of the day’s top industrial stocks to watch and an outperforming Dow name, which can attract momentum buyers and support the shares. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage emphasized Caterpillar’s strong earnings-based run, with the stock rising sharply on heavier-than-average volume after investors reacted favorably to its latest results and bullish price action. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary said CAT remains a “Moderate Buy,” which supports sentiment but does not by itself add a new catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One Zacks note warned that earnings estimate revisions may not support continued near-term gains, suggesting the stock could face some consolidation after its recent surge. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 86,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 360 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $906.00, for a total transaction of $326,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $480,180. This represents a 40.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $987.79 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $875.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $741.59. The company has a market cap of $454.97 billion, a PE ratio of 49.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.59. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $357.73 and a 1-year high of $994.49.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research upped their target price on Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $930.00 to $989.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $935.09.

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.