Applied Finance Capital Management LLC Acquires 783 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 18.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,081 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 783 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 530 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $221,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 573.1% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $861,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,087 shares in the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $2,951,000. Finally, Bedminster LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $344,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,631,913.85. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 103,287 shares of company stock worth $93,259,774 in the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted its price target on Caterpillar to $950 from $700, signaling continued upside potential despite keeping a neutral rating. Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts price target on Caterpillar to $950 from $700, maintains neutral rating
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer called Caterpillar “a buy,” citing oil and gas exposure, infrastructure spending, and AI data-center power demand as potential tailwinds. Jim Cramer Says Caterpillar Is a Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar said it is hiring 600 workers at its Sanford, North Carolina plant to support compact track loader production, suggesting strong demand and added manufacturing activity. Caterpillar hiring 600 jobs at Sanford plant
• Positive Sentiment: Industry research on Saudi Arabia’s construction equipment market pointed to Caterpillar as a key player in a market expected to grow steadily through 2030, supported by large infrastructure projects. Saudi Arabia Construction Equipment Industry Research 2026-2031 Featuring Caterpillar

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock opened at $888.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.42 billion, a PE ratio of 44.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.63. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $336.24 and a 12-month high of $931.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $775.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $680.05.

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 the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The firm had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The company’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.25 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $860.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $769.00 to $879.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,103.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $923.14.

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.