Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Holdings Cut by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel cut its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 44.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 30,414 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 24,156 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $24,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Lam Group Inc. bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 440.0% during the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 93.8% during the 2nd quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 31 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 82.1% during the 1st quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT traded down $1.66 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $724.13. The stock had a trading volume of 1,157,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,816,731. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $810.02 and a 200-day moving average of $856.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $332.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $510.21 and a 12-month high of $1,073.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 55.53% and a net margin of 14.51%. The company had revenue of $20.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Investors of record on Monday, October 26th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 26th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.06%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price objective on Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Freedom Broker raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $980.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Caterpillar from $1,118.00 to $1,009.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Zacks Research cut Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $967.83.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. The trade was a 48.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts generally view Caterpillar as a potentially attractive investment, providing supportive sentiment for CAT. However, the article notes that analyst recommendations should be considered alongside valuation and fundamentals rather than treated as a stand-alone buy signal. Wall Street Analysts Think Caterpillar Is a Good Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is investing $10 million to expand its workforce and manufacturing presence in North Carolina. The move could support production capacity, local operations, and longer-term demand fulfillment, although the near-term earnings benefit is likely limited. Caterpillar Expands North Carolina Manufacturing Workforce Investment
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks comparison examines how Caterpillar has performed year to date against W.W. Grainger and other industrial-products companies. The report provides useful relative-performance context but does not identify a new company-specific catalyst. Is Caterpillar Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles listing mining stocks to follow or consider adding to a watchlist mention the broader mining-investment theme, but they do not provide a material new update on Caterpillar’s orders, earnings, or outlook. Mining Stocks to Follow Today Promising Mining Stocks to Add to Your Watchlist

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. Its product portfolio includes excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and other machinery used in construction, infrastructure development, mining, quarrying, forestry, and related industries. The company also produces diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, generator sets, and other power-generation and transportation equipment.

Caterpillar operates through businesses focused on construction industries, resource industries, and energy and transportation.