Rep. Bruce Westerman Buys Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares

Representative Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas) recently bought shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT). In a filing disclosed on April 16th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Caterpillar stock on March 3rd. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FISHER IRA” account.

Representative Bruce Westerman also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Société Européenne (OTCMKTS:LVMUY) on 4/2/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Sony Group (NYSE:SONY) on 3/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE:MUFG) on 3/21/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BP (NYSE:BP) on 3/21/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) on 3/20/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ASML (NASDAQ:ASML) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Visa (NYSE:V) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 3/20/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) on 3/20/2025.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock traded up $3.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $293.82. 2,716,340 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,638,071. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $140.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $328.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $364.66.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. On average, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $365.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $361.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, with a total value of $36,557.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Westerman

Bruce Westerman (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Westerman (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Westerman earned his BSBAGE in biological and agricultural engineering from the University of Arkansas in 1990 and his MF in forestry from Yale University in 2001. His professional experience includes working as a plant engineer for Riceland Foods and an engineer/forester for Mid-South Engineering Company.

Caterpillar Company Profile

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.