ING Groep NV Reduces Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

ING Groep NV cut its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,441 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 11,526 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $38,062,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,385,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,572,681,000 after acquiring an additional 442,164 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,610,182 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,072,572,000 after acquiring an additional 94,524 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,493,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,438,408,000 after acquiring an additional 54,069 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 5,098,964 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,802,068 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,337,007,000 after acquiring an additional 58,993 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, May 8th. HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Williams Trading set a $825.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $933.27.

Caterpillar Stock Down 3.8%

NYSE:CAT opened at $904.89 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $352.26 and a fifty-two week high of $946.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $416.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 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. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $831.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $714.41.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The business had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.25 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th were issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.06%.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is benefiting from strong demand tied to data center construction and rising power needs, with coverage highlighting record quarterly results and improving sentiment around its power and energy business. Data Center Power Demands Push This Dividend Aristocrat to All Time Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators remain constructive on Caterpillar’s growth outlook, citing durable tailwinds from AI-related infrastructure spending and a bullish price target in the latest research note. Caterpillar Setting The Pace For Growth In Power And Energy
• Positive Sentiment: Trump administration tariff cuts on farm and construction equipment are being viewed as a margin boost for Caterpillar’s core products, which could support earnings and sentiment. Trump Just Gave Caterpillar Stock a Boost. What to Know.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage framed Caterpillar as one of the stocks poised to benefit from lower equipment tariffs, reinforcing the recent bullish narrative. When Trump Cuts Tariffs on Farm and Construction Equipment, These 5 Stocks Win Big
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles were more general or commentary-driven, including a decade-long return retrospective and broader construction-stocks roundups, so they are less likely to move the shares directly. If You Invested $1000 in Caterpillar a Decade Ago, This is How Much It’d Be Worth Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Non-fundamental items such as an unrelated garden-caterpillar story and a political donation tracker do not appear to have a direct impact on Caterpillar’s business outlook. New caterpillar that can ‘send you to A&E’ breeding rapidly in gardens

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total value of $14,399,860.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,631,913.85. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company 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.