Simplify Asset Management Inc. Invests $407,000 in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Simplify Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 574 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $407,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CAT. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 3.3% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 46,888 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,219,000 after purchasing an additional 1,479 shares during the last quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV now owns 7,664 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,430,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 649 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. IRON Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Finally, Leelyn Smith LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the first quarter valued at $3,875,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at $42,210,388.80. The trade was a 26.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total value of $11,444,205.55. Following the transaction, the insider owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 over the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target on Caterpillar to $1,218 from $1,043 and kept a buy rating, reinforcing bullish sentiment around the stock’s earnings and growth outlook. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Caterpillar as a momentum, long-term, and “trending” stock, suggesting investor interest remains strong and could help keep shares elevated. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators pointed to Caterpillar’s role in powering data centers and other AI-related infrastructure, a theme that has helped explain the stock’s strong run. Article Link
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar also received fresh praise for strong backlog, earnings growth, and long-term expansion plans, which supports the case for continued upside. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar announced a $5 million investment in Texas workforce training and manufacturing education, a positive long-term initiative but not likely a major near-term stock driver. Article Link
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street analyst coverage remains broadly optimistic, with multiple articles noting favorable average brokerage recommendations, though these do not always translate into reliable signals. Article Link
• Negative Sentiment: Michael Burry disclosed a first-ever short position in Caterpillar, arguing the stock’s AI-linked rally may have stretched valuation too far; that news is likely the main source of pressure on shares today. Article Link

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CAT shares. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $825.00 price target on Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $949.41.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of CAT opened at $965.44 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $388.09 and a 52 week high of $1,073.46. The firm has a market cap of $444.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.57. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $918.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $769.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The firm had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 30.06%.

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.