Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Position Lowered by Massachusetts Wealth Management

Massachusetts Wealth Management decreased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,010 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up approximately 1.6% of Massachusetts Wealth Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Massachusetts Wealth Management’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $40,457,153,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,276,960 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,120,529,000 after purchasing an additional 1,396,356 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $5,818,150,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth about $3,192,710,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,783,451,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $845.00 to $882.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $877.00 to $897.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $749.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $1,100.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $967.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Caterpillar Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of CAT opened at $740.20 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $805.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $856.93. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $510.21 and a 12 month high of $1,073.46. The company has a market capitalization of $340.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.85, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $19.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.72 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.74 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is Monday, October 26th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.06%.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Improving earnings outlook: Caterpillar has a strong history of exceeding quarterly estimates, and analysts see the company as having favorable conditions for another earnings beat. Its latest reported quarter also substantially exceeded consensus expectations for earnings and revenue. Will Caterpillar Beat Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Strong backlog and raised outlook: Caterpillar is supported by a record $72 billion backlog, strong cash flow and an increased 2026 sales-growth outlook. Although the dividend was held steady, these factors could support future dividend growth and capital returns. CAT Keeps Dividend Unchanged
• Positive Sentiment: Rating and analyst support: Caterpillar was upgraded to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), reflecting greater optimism about its earnings prospects. The average brokerage price target of approximately $967.83 is well above the recent trading level, although targets are not guarantees. Caterpillar Rating Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Dealer technology partnership: IronSight AI and Fast Iron announced a platform that helps Caterpillar, Komatsu and Volvo equipment dealers identify and sell used parts using smartphone images. The development may improve dealer efficiency, but it is not expected to have a material near-term effect on Caterpillar’s financial results. IronSight AI and Fast Iron Partnership
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and trading risks: Caterpillar’s elevated valuation leaves the stock vulnerable to a pullback if earnings momentum slows. ETFs were also reported as net sellers, while commentary cautioned that analyst optimism may already be reflected in the share price. Caterpillar Stock Pullback Risk

About Caterpillar

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.