Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $44.18 Million Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 222.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 62,361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 43,046 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $44,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 135.3% during the 1st quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 10,852 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,688,000 after purchasing an additional 6,240 shares during the last quarter. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. bought a new position in Caterpillar during the first quarter worth about $46,000. Blue Chip Partners LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 0.5% during the first quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 3,704 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,624,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Everest Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its stake in Caterpillar by 30.5% in the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 39,497 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,982,000 after buying an additional 9,236 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,165.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,125.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $980.57.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 360 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $906.00, for a total value of $326,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $480,180. The trade was a 40.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 86,029 shares in the company, valued at $79,397,884.68. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT opened at $841.67 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $387.66 billion, a PE ratio of 41.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $928.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $808.93. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $405.46 and a 1 year high of $1,073.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.25 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.87 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.45%.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings expectations are supportive. Zacks upgraded Caterpillar to Rank #2 (Buy), citing improving earnings prospects. The company is also viewed as having two factors that could support a quarterly earnings beat ahead of next week’s report. Caterpillar Earnings Expected to Grow
• Positive Sentiment: Strong recent fundamentals provide a cushion. Caterpillar’s latest reported quarter exceeded consensus estimates, with revenue rising 22.2% year over year and earnings per share reaching $5.54 versus the expected $4.65. Investors may be looking for this momentum to continue in the upcoming release.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention remains high. Caterpillar is a heavily watched industrial stock, and analysts and investors are debating whether its powerful multiyear rally can continue. The company’s shares have gained substantially over five years, raising the importance of future earnings and cash-flow growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation may be limiting further upside. Fair-value analysis is mixed: earnings multiples appear relatively reasonable, while a discounted-cash-flow estimate suggests the stock is approximately fairly valued. After its extended rally, the shares face a higher hurdle to justify additional gains. Caterpillar Stock Looks Slightly Above Fair Value
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment has softened. Erste Group Bank AG downgraded Caterpillar from “buy” to “hold,” adding pressure to the stock’s near-term outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Rare-earth supply risks could increase costs or disrupt production. China’s tighter export controls on rare-earth materials used in motors, sensors and control systems may affect Caterpillar’s advanced equipment and force manufacturers to secure more expensive alternative supplies. Caterpillar Faces Rare Earth Squeeze

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.