Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stock Holdings Raised by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 80.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,539 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,467 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises about 1.3% of Kentucky Retirement Systems’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $37,222,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 68,427.2% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,140,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,224,992,000 after buying an additional 3,136,020 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $1,225,317,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 573.1% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,504,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $861,947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281,087 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Caterpillar by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,738,802 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,860,457,000 after acquiring an additional 928,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 8,359.6% in the fourth quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 513,754 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $294,314,000 after acquiring an additional 507,681 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $782.32 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $926.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $810.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $405.46 and a 52 week high of $1,073.46. The stock has a market cap of $360.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.94, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.57.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The firm had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.25 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.87 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is an increase from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 32.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 86,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,210,388.80. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar announced an investment of up to $10 million in Illinois as part of its five-year, $100 million workforce initiative. The program will support training and recruitment for manufacturing and industrial technician jobs, potentially strengthening the company’s long-term labor pipeline. Caterpillar Invests in the Future of Manufacturing Talent in Illinois
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and market commentators remain constructive ahead of Caterpillar’s upcoming earnings report. Zacks upgraded the stock to a Rank #2, citing improving earnings prospects and the potential for an earnings beat. What Makes Caterpillar a New Buy Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar is scheduled to be among next week’s closely watched earnings reports. Investors will focus on order trends, demand, margins, tariffs and whether data-center-related generator sales can offset broader concerns. The Week Ahead: Jobs Data, Top 10 Earnings Reports to Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Caterpillar’s exposure to technology companies building artificial-intelligence data centers, where its generators can provide backup power and speed construction timelines. Satya Nadella’s Microsoft Needs Power. Joe Creed’s Caterpillar Sells It.
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded CAT to Hold from Buy and cut its price target by $300 to $900. Analyst Mig Dobre cited growing public and political backlash against data-center construction, raising concerns about the durability of AI-related demand that has helped support the stock’s rally. Caterpillar Is Downgraded on Growing Data Center Buildout Backlash
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns are amplifying the downgrade. Commentary noted that Caterpillar trades at a substantial premium to its historical valuation, leaving less room for disappointment if growth expectations or data-center spending cool. Caterpillar Trades at Three Times Its Historical Multiple
• Negative Sentiment: Additional risks include possible supply-chain pressure from China’s rare-earth export restrictions, which could raise costs or complicate sourcing of components used in advanced equipment. Caterpillar Faces Rare Earth Squeeze

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $900.00 price objective (down from $1,200.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $1,043.00 to $1,218.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $966.29.

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.