Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys New Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 23,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,791,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,688,000 after buying an additional 2,519 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 108.5% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.9% during 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 buying an additional 347 shares in 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 acquiring an additional 34,846 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $1,053.62 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $892.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $753.39. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $373.04 and a fifty-two week high of $1,057.07. The company has a market cap of $485.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The company had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is being boosted by a record backlog, AI-related power generation demand, and aggressive capital returns, which support the case for continued earnings strength. Caterpillar Soars But Analysts Remain Cautious
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reportedly raised its price recommendation on Caterpillar, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock’s dividend growth and long-term earnings power. Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks with Growing Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Several writeups pointed to Caterpillar’s strong year-to-date and multi-year performance, suggesting investors are still re-rating the stock higher on expectations for continued growth. Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Near $984 After Big Rally Is There Still Upside Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Caterpillar to other industrial and mining stocks are mostly informational and do not appear to add a fresh catalyst on their own. Unpacking Q1 Earnings: Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) In The Context Of Other Heavy Machinery Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: The Caterpillar Foundation’s $2.5 million initiative for America’s 250th anniversary is positive from a corporate social responsibility standpoint, but it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Caterpillar Foundation Announces $2.5 Million Initiative in Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted that analysts remain cautious after the stock’s big rally, implying valuation concerns and the possibility of upside slowing from here. Caterpillar Soars But Analysts Remain Cautious

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, 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 transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 86,029 shares in the company, valued at $79,397,884.68. The trade was a 21.97% 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, insider Jason Kaiser sold 5,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $883.03, for a total value of $4,982,055.26. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,471,789.82. This represents a 37.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 in the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the subject of a number of research reports. HSBC increased their target price on Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Zacks Research raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $939.86.

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.