Bell Asset Management Ltd Buys New Stake in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Bell Asset Management initiated a Caterpillar position of 2,443 shares valued at approximately $1.98 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.98% of CAT.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable but mixed: Caterpillar has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $989.17, despite Truist and Erste Group recently becoming more cautious.
• Caterpillar exceeded quarterly expectations with $8.17 in EPS and $20.54 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 23.7% year over year. Shares opened at $796.86, and CEO Joseph Creed recently sold about $26.2 million worth of stock.

Bell Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,443 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,981,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth $40,457,153,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,276,960 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $37,120,529,000 after acquiring an additional 1,396,356 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $5,818,150,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 68,427.2% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,140,603 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,224,992,000 after acquiring an additional 3,136,020 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,031,666 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,736,750,000 after purchasing an additional 68,770 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $1,225.00 to $1,100.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Needham & Company LLC set a $980.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $1,050.00 to $1,155.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Erste Group Bank lowered Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Caterpillar from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Fifteen 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 presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $989.17.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $796.86 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $491.30 and a 1 year high of $1,073.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $366.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $822.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $853.98.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.22 by $1.95. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 55.53% and a net margin of 14.51%.The firm had revenue of $20.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.72 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,954,303.90. This trade represents a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings forecasts support the long-term outlook. Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $27.36, FY2027 to $32.44 and FY2028 to $39.15, while also increasing estimates for several quarterly periods. Some Zacks reports maintain a “Strong Buy” view, although other updates list a “Hold” rating. MarketBeat Caterpillar analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar plans a $1 billion North Carolina expansion. The investment will expand Cat Compact manufacturing capacity and add advanced automation and digital systems, positioning the company to meet customer demand while supporting U.S. production and workforce development. Caterpillar North Carolina manufacturing investment
• Positive Sentiment: Potential growth in gas compression and data-center power markets provides additional upside. Analysts and commentators point to Caterpillar’s backlog and exposure to power-generation demand, including infrastructure supporting data centers. Caterpillar gas compression demand analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: The Caterpillar Foundation announced recovery support for flooding in Nepal. The initiative may enhance the company’s community profile but is unlikely to materially affect near-term financial results. Caterpillar Foundation Nepal flood support
• Negative Sentiment: Higher long-term interest rates are the main immediate pressure. Treasury yields reached their highest level in roughly two decades, weighing on capital-intensive industrial companies and potentially making equipment financing more expensive for customers. Industrial stocks and Treasury yields
• Negative Sentiment: Technical and regulatory concerns are adding to selling pressure. CAT fell below its 50-day moving average, while a lower Truist price target and an FTC/USDA information request involving the farm-equipment market add near-term uncertainty. Caterpillar and Deere regulatory inquiry

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Its products are used in infrastructure development, construction, mining, energy production, transportation, agriculture, forestry, and other industrial applications.

The company markets equipment and related services through a worldwide network of independent dealers. Its operations are generally organized around Construction Industries, Resource Industries, and Energy & Transportation.

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