WoodTrust Financial Corp Raises Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

WoodTrust Financial Corp lifted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 256.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,219 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,597 shares during the quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,271,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 140.0% in the 4th quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total transaction of $7,261,081.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,001,197.95. This represents a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total value of $26,656,109.04. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,524,818. The trade was a 47.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded up $70.47 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $880.52. 1,185,742 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,668,562. The business has a 50-day moving average of $744.25 and a 200 day moving average of $653.39. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $311.02 and a fifty-two week high of $882.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.70 billion, a PE ratio of 46.79, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.57 by $0.97. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 13.14%.The business had revenue of $17.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.89 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CAT shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Caterpillar from $870.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. CICC Research started coverage on Caterpillar in a report on Friday, February 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on Caterpillar from $785.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Caterpillar from $735.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $767.77.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — adjusted EPS and revenue topped Wall Street forecasts, driving the move higher. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong sales across construction and power segments, with construction?industries sales notably up, underpin confidence in continued order strength and backlog. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management returned capital aggressively in Q1 (~$5.7B in buybacks/dividends), supporting EPS and shareholder yield. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Power & energy growth catalyst — a framework agreement with PROPWR to supply up to 2.1 GW of generation assets expands Caterpillar’s addressable market in data centers and industrial power. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts were broadly positioned for a beat coming into the print; some brokerages have nudged FY estimates higher, reflecting the stronger quarter but also raising expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: broader indices are reacting to big?cap tech beats and commodity moves this morning — Caterpillar’s performance is helped by sector and market tailwinds. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and margin risks — some analysts caution that premium multiple and rising costs could limit upside if demand softens or margins compress. Investors should weigh the beat against a lofty valuation. Read More.

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.