Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Sold by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Bell Asset Management Ltd lessened its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 56.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 6,716 shares during the quarter. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $2,441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,418,321 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,656,286,000 after buying an additional 208,196 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Caterpillar in the second quarter worth about $2,165,899,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 20.7% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,553,930 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,695,757,000 after acquiring an additional 609,023 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 1.0% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,337,915 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,295,432,000 after acquiring an additional 33,467 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.5% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,282,720 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,274,385,000 after purchasing an additional 140,784 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Down 3.5%

CAT stock opened at $681.31 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $789.81. The company has a market capitalization of $317.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $681.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $576.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th were paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.09%.

Trending Headlines about Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price‑target upgrades from Jefferies and Oppenheimer lift longer‑term outlooks — Jefferies raised its target to $825 and Oppenheimer to $817, both keeping buy/outperform views, signaling near‑20% upside versus current levels. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals remain supportive: Caterpillar beat revenue and EPS expectations in its last report (strong margins and revenue growth), which underpins analyst bullishness and medium‑term earnings expectations. Analyst Upgrade Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Joseph Creed sold 2,500 shares (filed with the SEC), a small reduction in insider holdings that may be interpreted as routine liquidity rather than a signal of deteriorating fundamentals. SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive PR and brand buzz from a viral AI image and Caterpillar’s real pickup concept give the company free publicity and may support equipment‑brand equity, but have limited immediate revenue impact. Caterpillar Built a Yellow Pickup
• Negative Sentiment: Large intraday losses in CAT helped drive sharp Dow declines and reflect heavy profit‑taking and macro risk sentiment; that market stress is the main reason the stock is down today. Dow Falls Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary on valuation labels Caterpillar as a high‑quality but highly valued cyclical, which could amplify downside if macro or industrial demand weakens. Valuation Critique
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage noting the stock’s day‑over‑day dip highlights short‑term momentum weakness and heavier intraday volume, contributing to negative price action. Why CAT Dipped

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total transaction of $26,656,109.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 43,350 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,524,818. This trade represents a 47.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total transaction of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,142,227.60. This trade represents a 18.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 135,950 shares of company stock worth $94,327,990 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. HSBC raised their price target on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $710.00 to $760.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $569.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $724.81.

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.