Electron Capital Partners LLC Invests $42.83 Million in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Electron Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 74,761 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,828,000. Caterpillar comprises 2.0% of Electron Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of CAT stock opened at $955.17 on Thursday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $356.96 and a 1 year high of $975.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $439.94 billion, a PE ratio of 47.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $865.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $735.73. 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.62 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on CAT. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $769.00 to $879.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $930.00 to $989.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $935.09.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Caterpillar to $1,165 from $1,125 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling continued confidence in the stock’s upside. MarketScreener
• Positive Sentiment: Articles highlighted Caterpillar as a blue-chip stock to own, helped by bullish market momentum as the Dow reached a new milestone. Zacks
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar recently increased its dividend, reinforcing management’s confidence in cash generation and making the stock more attractive to income investors. Yahoo Finance
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage also pointed to Caterpillar’s improving growth story, including a large AI-related backlog and rising demand in its power generation business, which supports a stronger long-term outlook. Yahoo Finance
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market recap pieces noted Caterpillar’s gains were helping lift the Dow to record highs, but these articles were more about broad index performance than a new company-specific catalyst. MSN

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares in the company, valued at $48,631,913.85. This represents a 22.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.