Stephens Inc. AR Cuts Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Stephens Inc. AR cut its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 3.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 56,306 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,937 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $39,890,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total transaction of $14,399,860.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,935 shares in the company, valued at $48,631,913.85. The trade was a 22.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. The trade was a 26.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on CAT. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 price target on Caterpillar and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $949.41.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $965.44 on Monday. 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 company has a market cap of $444.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $388.09 and a 52 week high of $1,073.46. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $918.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $770.29.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced 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 net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The firm had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on Caterpillar to $1,218 from $1,043 and kept a buy rating, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock’s earnings and growth outlook. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Caterpillar as a momentum, long-term, and “trending” stock, suggesting investor interest remains strong and could help keep shares elevated. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators pointed to Caterpillar’s role in powering data centers and other AI-related infrastructure, a theme that has helped explain the stock’s strong run. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar also received fresh praise for strong backlog, earnings growth, and long-term expansion plans, which supports the case for continued upside. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar announced a $5 million investment in Texas workforce training and manufacturing education, a positive long-term initiative but not likely a major near-term stock driver. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street analyst coverage remains broadly optimistic, with multiple articles noting favorable average brokerage recommendations, though these do not always translate into reliable signals. Article Link
• Negative Sentiment: Michael Burry disclosed a first-ever short position in Caterpillar, arguing the stock’s AI-linked rally may have stretched valuation too far; that news is likely the main source of pressure on shares today. Article Link

Caterpillar Profile

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.