Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stock: First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Grows Holdings

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 124.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,695 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 7,029 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $10,293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 440.0% during the second quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 93.8% during the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 31 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 82.1% in the 1st quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total transaction of $26,211,760.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. The trade was a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $1,225.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 5th. Needham & Company LLC set a $980.00 price target on Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Caterpillar from $877.00 to $897.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $982.92.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar announced a planned $1 billion U.S. investment in compact construction equipment, supporting domestic manufacturing capacity and potentially strengthening its position in infrastructure and construction markets. Caterpillar announces $1B US compact equipment investment
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is highlighted as a dividend-paying company with exposure to artificial-intelligence infrastructure through its power-generation equipment, alongside Broadcom and Vertiv. 3 Dividend Paying Stocks Offering AI Exposure
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent comparisons with Deere and Timken frame Caterpillar as a major industrial competitor, but do not introduce a specific new catalyst for CAT. Which Industrials Stock Do Analysts Like Better: Deere or Caterpillar? Timken and Caterpillar Head-To-Head Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts at Citi and Truist reportedly lowered their price targets, while the stock broke below a key technical support level. The decline from its June peak has intensified concerns about momentum and valuation. Caterpillar stock drops below key support as Citi, Truist slashes target
• Negative Sentiment: The market appears to be questioning the premium assigned to Caterpillar’s data-center power business, particularly whether rapidly growing project demand can remain durable. Caterpillar Sinks as Deere Edges Higher What Could Derail Caterpillar Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Caterpillar trades at a growth-stock valuation despite its historically cyclical construction and mining businesses. Investors are concerned that dealer restocking and infrastructure demand may moderate after recent strong growth. Caterpillar: A Cyclical Machine Maker Meets a Growth-Stock Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank modestly reduced its FY2027 earnings-per-share forecast to $32.14 from $32.28 and maintained a “Hold” rating, adding to the cautious analyst tone. Caterpillar earnings estimate update

Caterpillar Stock Down 3.4%

CAT stock opened at $772.42 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $355.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $499.01 and a 52 week high of $1,073.46. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $819.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $855.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. The company had revenue of $20.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.34 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.51% and a return on equity of 55.53%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.72 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Its products are used in infrastructure development, construction, mining, energy production, transportation, agriculture, forestry, and other industrial applications.

The company markets equipment and related services through a worldwide network of independent dealers. Its operations are generally organized around Construction Industries, Resource Industries, and Energy & Transportation.