Caterpillar Inc. $CAT is Willis Investment Counsel’s 7th Largest Position

09 Apr 2026, 09:42 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

Willis Investment Counsel lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT – Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,891 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,160 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises approximately 2.4% of Willis Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $45,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 140.0% during the fourth quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares in the company, valued at $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 22,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $720.11, for a total transaction of $16,314,812.16. Following the transaction, the insider owned 79,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,574,954.83. This trade represents a 22.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $771.46 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $721.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $619.87. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $269.13 and a one year high of $789.81. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $358.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.99, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 32.09%.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

Positive Sentiment: Orderly leadership transition — long‑time CFO Andrew Bonfield will retire Oct. 1, 2026, and internal finance veteran Kyle Epley is named CFO effective May 1, which lowers execution risk and reassures markets about continuity. Caterpillar Elects New Chief Financial Officer
Positive Sentiment: AI/data‑center tailwind & bullish flow — social and options activity highlight investor bets that CAT will benefit from rising generator demand for AI data centers and infrastructure spending, supporting upside momentum. Caterpillar Inc. Stock (CAT) Opinions on AI Data Center Generator Demand
Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals and backlog support — sell‑side commentary and research note themes point to a $51B backlog, dealer inventory normalization and pricing/operating leverage that could sustain revenue and margin improvement. Caterpillar: AI-Driven Power Demand And Strong Backlog Support Continued Upside
Neutral Sentiment: Dividend maintained — Board kept the quarterly payout at $1.51/share (payable May 19), signaling capital return consistency but little surprise to income investors. Caterpillar Inc. Maintains Dividend
Neutral Sentiment: Broad market lift — CAT was among names leading the Dow higher in a strong market session, amplifying short‑term gains tied to macro momentum rather than company‑specific catalysts. Sherwin-Williams Co., Caterpillar share gains lead Dow’s 1,335-point surge
Negative Sentiment: New legal risk — Caterpillar and Bobcat have filed mutual patent infringement suits, introducing litigation uncertainty and potential costs or injunction risk for some product lines. Caterpillar, Bobcat sue each other over patent infringement
Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — sizable insider dispositions noted in recent data create a governance/optics headwind that some investors watch as a cautionary signal. Caterpillar Inc. Stock (CAT) Opinions on AI Data Center Generator Demand

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $729.00 to $786.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Barclays raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $625.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $737.55.

View Our Latest Report on CAT

Caterpillar Profile

(Free Report)

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.