Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Acquired by Welch Group LLC

Welch Group LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 39,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 972 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $31,730,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 440.0% in the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1,750.0% during the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 37 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co grew its position 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 82.1% during the first quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 51 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of CAT stock opened at $622.73 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $286.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.65. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $537.08 and a twelve month high of $1,073.46. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $783.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $807.52.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $7.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.14. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.87% and a net margin of 15.21%. The company had revenue of $20.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.95 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 26th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 25.58%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were 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 directly owned 34,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. This represents a 48.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CAT. Zacks Research cut Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $749.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,027.00 price target (down from $1,100.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday. Freedom Broker raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $980.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $897.00 to $722.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve 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 $905.75.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar’s third-quarter revenue increased 17.3% year over year to $20.68 billion, while adjusted earnings of $7.20 per share exceeded consensus by $0.14. The results reinforce the company’s earnings momentum. CAT Q3 deep dive: capacity expansion and backlog growth shape outlook amid market caution
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter order backlog reached a record $78 billion, extending delivery timelines well into the next decade. Power-generation sales to end users rose 75%, helped by demand from data centers, supporting Caterpillar’s longer-term growth outlook. Caterpillar: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reiterated a “Buy” rating. A separate global-bank analysis argued that the market may be overlooking Caterpillar’s backlog and secular data-center power demand, with substantial upside possible if execution remains strong. Caterpillar Crashed By 25% Over 6 Months But This Global Banking Giant Says 85% Gains Will Come
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist reduced its price target to $1,027 from $1,100 while retaining its Buy rating. The lower target reflects greater caution but still implies significant potential appreciation from recent trading levels. Could Caterpillar Actually Climb 65% After Its Earnings Slide? Or Is Truist Totally Wrong?
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada and Citigroup trimmed their Caterpillar price targets, adding to investor concerns that valuation, cyclical demand and execution risks may limit near-term gains. RBC price target reduction Citi price target trim
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan issued pessimistic forecasts, while an analyst downgrade recently sent CAT shares lower. The cluster of cautious calls is likely weighing on the stock despite the earnings beat. Morgan Stanley forecast JPMorgan forecast

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.