Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,423 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,513 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for 0.8% of Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $44,578,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at $2,165,899,000. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Groupe la Francaise raised its position in Caterpillar by 82.0% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 27,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,820,000 after purchasing an additional 12,278 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 155.9% in the 3rd quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 47,231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,014,000 after buying an additional 28,773 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth approximately $8,893,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $766.15 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $660.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $559.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $356.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.71, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $789.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.14 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $729.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $756.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $712.52.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street lifts targets — Wells Fargo raised its CAT price target to $870 (overweight) and Daiwa boosted its target to $790, signaling stronger analyst conviction that Caterpillar can capture continued demand. Wells Fargo price target rise Daiwa price target rise
• Positive Sentiment: AI/data‑center capex tailwind — Strategists are positioning CAT as a “HALO” (Hard Asset, Low Obsolescence) play to benefit from $+600B of data center and AI buildout: demand for heavy equipment to construct large facilities supports longer-term machinery orders. Strategist sees Deere, Caterpillar as low-volatility AI plays
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic venture investing — Caterpillar Venture Capital backed ElevenEs’ Series B first closing, reflecting CAT’s push into adjacent tech/commodity-trading solutions that could broaden revenue streams over time. ElevenEs Series B closing backed by Caterpillar Venture Capital
• Positive Sentiment: Buildout of services and software — Caterpillar acquired RPMGlobal (mining software) and is rolling out a redesigned rental management experience, both moves that expand higher‑margin, recurring services and digital offerings. Caterpillar Acquired RPMGlobal Caterpillar to launch redesigned rental management experience
• Neutral Sentiment: PR and workforce focus — Caterpillar hosted its Global Technician Finals in Peoria (skills/brand positive but limited direct EPS impact). Caterpillar hosts its Global Technician Finals in Peoria
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative industry coverage — Pieces contrasting Caterpillar and Deere highlight divergent earnings narratives; useful context for relative positioning but not an immediate catalyst. Caterpillar vs Deere article
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and option activity — Director/officer Rodney Shurman disclosed sales (and option exercises reported separately), reducing his stake materially; investors often view repeated insider sales as a modest near‑term negative. Rodney Michael Shurman insider sale Insider exercises options
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jump — Short interest rose ~61% in February to ~10M shares (2.2% of float). While still a small share of float, the spike increases volatility and could weigh on near‑term sentiment. (Data source: short interest release)

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 972 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $764.20, for a total transaction of $742,802.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $629,700.80. This represents a 54.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 143,450 shares of company stock valued at $98,245,065. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company 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.