Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Sets New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday after Argus raised their price target on the stock from $625.00 to $820.00. Argus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Caterpillar traded as high as $743.50 and last traded at $742.51, with a volume of 2493254 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $726.20.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $677.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $476.00 to $630.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $702.95.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at $26,142,227.60. This trade represents a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 41,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,001,197.95. This represents a 20.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 130,545 shares of company stock valued at $88,294,733 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target on CAT to $820 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling stronger earnings/valuation expectations that support further upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America increased its price target to $825 and kept a buy rating — another major house lifting its fair value estimate, which helps drive demand from institutional investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple feature pieces position Caterpillar as an unexpected beneficiary of the AI and data-center boom (and as a leader in digitizing construction), reinforcing a long-term growth narrative beyond traditional equipment sales. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Deep-dive coverage on Caterpillar’s AI-driven construction platforms and services underscores higher-margin recurring revenue opportunities and product differentiation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent results and reporting show revenue strength (2025 Q4 revenue +18%), supporting the bullish analyst revisions and valuation expansion. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar’s CFO Andrew Bonfield will participate in a Barclays fireside chat next week — an investor-relations event that could provide incremental guidance color but is not a major catalyst by itself. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlighting India’s infrastructure boom lists CAT among firms well-positioned to benefit from global infrastructure spending — supportive longer-term tailwind but execution dependent. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Smaller institutional moves: Allegheny Financial Group modestly increased its stake; large funds continue to hold meaningful positions — signals of steady institutional interest but not a near-term price driver. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling was reported (notably Anthony Fassino and other filings showing sales), which can be read as diversification or tax-related but may create short-term perception pressure. Read More. / Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pacific Point Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.3% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 137,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,860,000 after buying an additional 4,380 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 16.6% during the second quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 8,004 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,107,000 after buying an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Finally, Courier Capital LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.0% in the second quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 4,391 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,705,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $362.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $627.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $536.53.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.14 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 32.09%.

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.