Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stock Position Lowered by LSV Asset Management

LSV Asset Management lessened its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 94.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 77,000 shares during the quarter. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3,949.8% in 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 buying an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 573.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $861,947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,087 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 20.7% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,553,930 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,695,757,000 after purchasing an additional 609,023 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 24.3% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 2,375,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,176,870,000 after purchasing an additional 464,036 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,385,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,572,681,000 after purchasing an additional 442,164 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage noted that Caterpillar flashed a buy signal as the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 hit new highs, reflecting broad strength in industrial and AI-related names. Dow Jones Futures Rise After S&P 500, Nasdaq Hit Highs; 5 AI Stocks In Buy Areas
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are focusing on a “hidden AI revenue stream” in Caterpillar’s financials: about $10.2 billion in generator sales to data centers last year, which supports the idea that CAT benefits from AI buildout even though it is not a pure-play AI stock. A $10.2 Billion Hidden AI Revenue Stream Most Investors Are Missing
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article discussed Caterpillar in the context of the Iran war and whether it is a buy, sell or hold, but it did not add a clear new catalyst for the stock. Is Caterpillar a Buy, Sell, or Hold Amid the Iran War?
• Neutral Sentiment: Clinch Resources’ purchase of a Caterpillar highwall miner is a small equipment-order headline that may support sentiment around CAT’s mining product line, but it is not likely to move the stock on its own. Clinch Resources acquires first Caterpillar highwall miner for West Virginia met coal operation

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $909.25 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $339.50 and a 1-year 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 company has a market capitalization of $418.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $799.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $696.43.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued 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 return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The business had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.25 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total value 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. The trade was a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total value of $11,444,205.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at $45,236,615.75. This trade represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 98,273 shares of company stock valued at $89,439,960. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Williams Trading set a $825.00 target price on Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Argus boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $923.14.

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.