Liontrust Investment Partners LLP Invests $17.94 Million in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP bought a new position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 25,328 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,944,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,420 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $12,844,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Juno Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $877,000. DSG Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at $1,226,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $4,517,000. Finally, Ticino Wealth purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $2,488,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on CAT shares. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,043.00 to $1,218.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $1,125.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Erste Group Bank cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $900.00 price target (down from $1,200.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday. Finally, HSBC raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $966.29.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction of $14,928,254.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,210,388.80. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total value of $14,399,860.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,631,913.85. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 over the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar announced up to $10 million for workforce development in Illinois, part of its broader five-year, $100 million Building the Future Workforce Initiative. The investment is intended to address manufacturing and technician shortages, supporting long-term operating capacity and regional growth. Caterpillar Invests in the Future of Manufacturing Talent in Illinois
• Positive Sentiment: Several investment articles remain bullish, arguing that Caterpillar’s recent decline could create an attractive entry point for long-term investors ahead of earnings. The company has also benefited from strong demand, with its latest reported quarter showing revenue growth and earnings above analyst expectations. Here’s Why Caterpillar Is a Buy Before Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is focused on Caterpillar’s second-quarter results, including key operating metrics such as sales, margins and segment performance. The earnings release could determine whether the recent demand strength offsets concerns about valuation and end-market risks. Unlocking Q2 Potential of Caterpillar
• Negative Sentiment: Robert W. Baird downgraded CAT from Outperform to Neutral and reduced its price target to $900 from $1,200. Analyst Mig Dobre cited growing backlash and uncertainty surrounding the data-center construction boom, which had helped drive enthusiasm for Caterpillar’s power-generation products. Baird Just Downgraded Caterpillar Stock
• Negative Sentiment: The downgrade intensified concerns that Caterpillar trades at a historically elevated valuation and could be vulnerable if AI-related infrastructure spending slows. Commentary also noted bearish positioning, including Michael Burry’s reported negative view of the stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $807.88 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $925.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $811.49. The firm has a market cap of $372.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $405.46 and a 1-year high of $1,073.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 32.45%.

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.