Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Trims Position in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA lessened its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 15.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,630 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,576 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up 1.5% of Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $21,693,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares in the last quarter. United Bank increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 108.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 4,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,585,000 after buying an additional 2,125 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.9% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 9,147 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,551,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 6.5% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 572,165 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $222,120,000 after buying an additional 34,846 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Williams Trading set a $825.00 price objective on Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Caterpillar from $1,125.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $949.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 5,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $883.03, for a total value of $4,982,055.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,471,789.82. The trade was a 37.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT stock opened at $965.44 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $444.67 billion, a PE ratio of 48.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $388.09 and a 12-month high of $1,073.46. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $918.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $769.03.

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

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

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

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.