Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Short Interest Update

17 Mar 2026, 00:16 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 8,302,639 shares, a decrease of 17.0% from the February 12th total of 10,003,029 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,813,488 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 1.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,813,488 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on CAT. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Caterpillar from $765.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup upped their target price on Caterpillar from $760.00 to $785.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $640.00 to $790.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $730.50.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on CAT

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at $26,142,227.60. This represents a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $718.93, for a total transaction of $1,797,325.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 35,083 shares in the company, valued at $25,222,221.19. The trade was a 6.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 135,950 shares of company stock worth $94,327,990 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,165,899,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,228,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,494,568,000 after purchasing an additional 5,098,964 shares during the period. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,225,317,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Caterpillar by 1,851.8% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,830,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $873,382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,736,631 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 573.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $861,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,087 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of CAT stock traded up $6.10 during trading on Monday, hitting $700.09. 2,096,189 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,950,427. Caterpillar has a 52-week low of $267.30 and a 52-week high of $789.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $325.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $695.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $587.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.14 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Company Profile

(Get 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.