Apella Capital LLC Purchases 2,564 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Apella Capital LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 67.4% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,367 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,564 shares during the quarter. Apella Capital LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CAT. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Truist Financial set a $1,043.00 price objective on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $900.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $939.86.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total value of $22,354,968.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 86,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 5,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $883.03, for a total transaction of $4,982,055.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,471,789.82. This represents a 37.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $1,053.62 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $373.04 and a 12 month high of $1,057.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $485.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.59. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $892.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $753.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The business had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is being boosted by a record backlog, AI-related power generation demand, and aggressive capital returns, which support the case for continued earnings strength. Caterpillar Soars But Analysts Remain Cautious
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reportedly raised its price recommendation on Caterpillar, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock’s dividend growth and long-term earnings power. Top 5 Blue Chip Stocks with Growing Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Several writeups pointed to Caterpillar’s strong year-to-date and multi-year performance, suggesting investors are still re-rating the stock higher on expectations for continued growth. Caterpillar (CAT) Stock Near $984 After Big Rally Is There Still Upside Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Caterpillar to other industrial and mining stocks are mostly informational and do not appear to add a fresh catalyst on their own. Unpacking Q1 Earnings: Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) In The Context Of Other Heavy Machinery Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: The Caterpillar Foundation’s $2.5 million initiative for America’s 250th anniversary is positive from a corporate social responsibility standpoint, but it is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. Caterpillar Foundation Announces $2.5 Million Initiative in Celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted that analysts remain cautious after the stock’s big rally, implying valuation concerns and the possibility of upside slowing from here. Caterpillar Soars But Analysts Remain Cautious

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.