20,162 Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lessened its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 289,679 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 20,162 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $234,869,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,457,153,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,818,150,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,192,710,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,783,451,000. Finally, Ascentis Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 110,539.0% during the second quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,518,143 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,711,772,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515,867 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar reported strong third-quarter results, with earnings above consensus, year-over-year growth, and a record $78.1 billion backlog. Surging demand for power-generation equipment is supporting capacity expansion, though production and cost pressures may limit the benefit. Article: CAT Shares Fall Despite Q3 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Director James Fish bought 1,000 shares for about $620,000, increasing his stake by nearly 27%. The purchase may signal confidence in the company. Article: Caterpillar director purchases shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar completed its acquisition of the Fabick Cat dealership. The deal expands its dealer operations in several Midwestern states, but the near-term financial effect is unclear. Article: Caterpillar completes Fabick Cat acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: The broader AI-trade selloff is weighing on industrial stocks, with investors treating Caterpillar as a beneficiary of data-center power investment and questioning whether that spending will continue. Reports tied the market reaction to expectations of less AI spending after Democrats won Congress; they noted no new company-specific catalyst. Article: Caterpillar caught up in AI trade selloff
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target by 26%, citing a shift toward testing Caterpillar’s cyclical fundamentals. Reports also point to weaker orders, dealer inventory reductions, production constraints, tariffs and manufacturing costs—all risks to margins and backlog conversion. Article: Morgan Stanley cuts Caterpillar price target

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $552.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $254.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.69, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.65. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $765.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $806.58. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $537.08 and a 52 week high of $1,073.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.06 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $20.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.76 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 59.87%. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.95 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.62 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, October 26th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $1,100.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Caterpillar from $915.00 to $675.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price objective on Caterpillar in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Caterpillar from $950.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 31st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $898.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, CEO Joseph Creed sold 32,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,954,303.90. This represents a 48.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director James C. Fish, Jr. bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $620.39 per share, for a total transaction of $620,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,714 shares in the company, valued at $2,924,518.46. This trade represents a 26.93% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Profile

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.