STAR Financial Bank Trims Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

STAR Financial Bank decreased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 39.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 863 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 559 shares during the period. STAR Financial Bank’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $494,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer set a $980.00 price objective on Caterpillar and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $933.27.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar raised its quarterly dividend by 8% to $1.63 per share, extending its dividend-growth streak to 32 consecutive years and signaling confidence in cash generation and future returns to shareholders.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group lifted FY2026 and FY2027 earnings estimates for Caterpillar, reflecting expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar was highlighted on Zacks’ “best momentum stocks” list, which can reinforce bullish trader interest and momentum buying.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent bullish commentary pointed to strong Q1 results, including 22% revenue growth and a backlog of $62.7 billion, suggesting healthy demand across Caterpillar’s core markets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar and Austal announced a global value agreement, but the available details do not clearly indicate a material near-term financial impact for CAT. Austal and Caterpillar in Global Value Agreement
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary warned that Caterpillar’s recent run-up leaves the stock vulnerable to a reversal on valuation concerns after a sharp move higher.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also recently pulled back from its year-to-date high, with technical traders citing a possible double-top pattern, which may be limiting near-term upside.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $906.00, for a total value of $326,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $480,180. This represents a 40.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.0%

CAT stock opened at $910.78 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $355.70 and a 12-month high of $946.83. The stock has a market cap of $419.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.34, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.59. The business’s 50-day moving average is $851.85 and its 200 day moving average is $727.82.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The company had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.25 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

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.