Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 17.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 666,306 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 99,847 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $472,051,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $2,688,000 after acquiring an additional 2,519 shares during the last quarter. United Bank boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 108.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 4,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in Caterpillar by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,551,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Caterpillar by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 572,165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $222,120,000 after buying an additional 34,846 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar’s Construction Industries segment is showing strong momentum, with Q1 2026 sales up 38% year over year. That performance is helping support the case for sustained growth in one of CAT’s most important businesses. Can CAT’s Construction Industries Segment Deliver Sustained Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is also leaning more heavily into recurring revenue through digital tools, equipment rental, and technology-driven services, which could improve earnings visibility and support its 2030 growth goals. Caterpillar (CAT) Bets On Recurring Revenue After 38% Construction Sales Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains constructive, with Caterpillar receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, reinforcing investor confidence in the stock’s longer-term fundamentals. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Several comparison and “stocks to watch” articles mention Caterpillar alongside other industrial and construction names, which adds visibility but does not itself change the company’s fundamentals. Caterpillar vs. Oshkosh: Which Industrials Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: An article highlighting Caterpillar as a potential beneficiary of Federal Reserve pivot expectations points to macro-rate optimism, but the impact is indirect and mostly sentiment-driven. 5 Best Stocks to Buy Following Federal Reserve Pivot Expectations

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on CAT. Daiwa Securities Group increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $1,165.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $905.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $976.76.

Caterpillar Trading Down 2.1%

Caterpillar stock opened at $932.41 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $931.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $785.96. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $402.23 and a 52 week high of $1,073.46. The company has a market capitalization of $429.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.71 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the sale, the insider owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at $42,210,388.80. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total value of $22,354,968.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 86,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. This represents a 21.97% 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 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.