Hartford Funds Management Co LLC Takes $1.70 Million Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,698,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,237,000 after purchasing an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $8,893,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $79,053,000 after purchasing an additional 4,010 shares during the period. Juno Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $877,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 73,363 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $35,023,000 after purchasing an additional 2,565 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $677.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,103.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, May 11th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $980.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $923.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief financial officer directly 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 100,551 shares of company stock valued at $91,170,351 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

More Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators continue to pitch Caterpillar as a top long-term stock, citing rising revenues, strong earnings growth, and an improving outlook for heavy equipment demand. Why Caterpillar (CAT) is a Top Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Several pieces frame CAT as an emerging AI infrastructure beneficiary, pointing to engine solutions for data centers and gas compression, which could expand demand beyond traditional construction and mining end markets. Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) Discusses Capacity Expansion and Engine Solutions for Data Centers and Gas Compression Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Investor optimism has intensified around CAT’s rerating, with some commentary suggesting the stock could keep climbing if backlog strength and AI-related demand remain intact. Price Prediction and Forecast: Can CAT Shares Hit $1000 By 2027?
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage comparing Caterpillar with Deere says CAT has the edge on revenue growth and earnings momentum, reinforcing a relatively constructive view on the stock despite tariff pressure. Caterpillar vs. Deere: Which Heavy Equipment Stock is the Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar is drawing heavy investor attention on news feeds and search activity, which signals heightened interest but not a clear fundamental catalyst by itself. Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: A local report on workforce and tariff issues at a Caterpillar-related facility underscores ongoing supply-chain and trade concerns, but it does not appear to be a major company-specific negative on its own. Hassan tours Milton CAT facility to discuss workforce, tariff issues
• Negative Sentiment: Some broader market coverage noted Caterpillar among the Dow components contributing to index losses, reflecting short-term selling pressure rather than a change in CAT’s fundamentals. Caterpillar, NVIDIA Corp. share losses lead Dow’s nearly 150-point drop

Caterpillar Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $862.49 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $336.24 and a 12-month high of $931.35. The company has a market cap of $397.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.93, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $778.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $683.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The firm had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.06%.

About Caterpillar

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.