Capital Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Capital Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,359 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,181 shares during the period. Caterpillar makes up approximately 2.0% of Capital Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Capital Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $14,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 5,098,964 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 68,427.2% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,140,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,224,992,000 after buying an additional 3,136,020 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,225,317,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings 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 valued at $861,947,000 after buying an additional 1,281,087 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,738,802 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,860,457,000 after acquiring an additional 928,974 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 86,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q3 EPS estimates for Caterpillar, reinforcing the view that earnings momentum may remain strong. Q3 EPS Estimates for Caterpillar Raised by Zacks Research
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Caterpillar’s “unprecedented valuation” tied to the AI infrastructure buildout suggests investors are paying up for CAT’s exposure to data center, power, and heavy equipment demand. Caterpillar Hits Unprecedented Valuation Amid AI Infrastructure Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst roundups continue to list Caterpillar among favored industrial names, implying the stock remains a preferred pick despite broader sector caution. Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Caterpillar
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary says the construction and mining equipment sector faces headwinds, but Caterpillar is still viewed as one of the names worth watching. 3 Construction & Mining Equipment Stocks Braving Industry Headwinds

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $1,165.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $941.45.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $1,033.40 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $475.97 billion, a PE ratio of 51.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.59. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $902.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $759.31. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $384.25 and a 1-year high of $1,057.07.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released 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 return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The firm had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.25 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.66 EPS for the current 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 given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 30.06%.

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.