The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Trims Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 12.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 315,208 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 44,320 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.07% of Caterpillar worth $223,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Cornerstone Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.7% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Resource Group lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $935,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.1% in the first quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC now owns 1,164 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $825,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.6% in the first quarter. Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 506 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sylvest Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.6% during the first quarter. Sylvest Advisors LLC now owns 377 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Friday, May 8th. HSBC lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $769.00 to $879.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $980.57.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar’s stock has approximately doubled over the past year. Investors have been encouraged by strong operating momentum and expectations that demand from data-center construction and related infrastructure spending could support future equipment sales. Caterpillar Stock Is Up 100% in a Year
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s most recent earnings report provided a fundamental backdrop for the rally: Caterpillar exceeded analysts’ quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, while revenue increased 22.2% year over year. This suggests strong demand and operating leverage, although investors may now require continued earnings growth to justify the elevated share price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar has become a highly watched or “trending” stock on Zacks, increasing visibility among investors. However, heightened attention can contribute to greater trading volatility and does not itself change the company’s earnings outlook. Caterpillar Is a Trending Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank AG downgraded Caterpillar from “buy” to “hold.” The change likely reflects caution after the substantial run-up, with investors potentially reassessing risk-reward prospects at a historically high valuation. Finviz Caterpillar Listing
• Negative Sentiment: Investor Michael Burry’s reported short position in Caterpillar benefited during the July pullback, highlighting the presence of bearish positioning. The stock’s roughly 100% annual gain, elevated price-to-earnings ratio and recent decline make profit-taking and volatility risks more significant. Michael Burry’s Short Bets on Caterpillar

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $873.54 on Tuesday. 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 fifty day moving average of $929.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $807.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $402.34 billion, a PE ratio of 43.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $405.46 and a fifty-two week high of $1,073.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The business had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 32.45%.

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.