Bellwether Advisors LLC Purchases 2,133 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Bellwether Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 42.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,101 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,133 shares during the quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,068,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 7.3% during the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at about $8,893,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.5% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,053,000 after purchasing an additional 4,010 shares during the period. Juno Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $877,000. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 11.7% during the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 31,144 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $14,860,000 after purchasing an additional 3,268 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Key Caterpillar News

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of several research reports. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Argus upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $923.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 86,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,397,884.68. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total transaction of $14,399,860.54. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,631,913.85. This represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 98,273 shares of company stock worth $89,439,960. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of CAT stock opened at $909.25 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $339.50 and a 52-week high of $931.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $799.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $696.43. The company has a market capitalization of $418.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.26, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.63.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its 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 net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The firm had revenue of $17.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.25 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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