Capital Investment Counsel LLC Sells 1,181 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Capital Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its Caterpillar position by 5.5% in the first quarter, selling 1,181 shares and leaving it with 20,359 shares valued at about $14.4 million.
• Caterpillar continues to draw strong analyst attention, with multiple firms raising price targets; the stock now carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $941.45.
• The company posted better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $5.54 versus $4.65 expected and revenue of $17.41 billion, while also boosting its quarterly dividend to $1.63 per share.

Capital Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 5.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,359 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,181 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises approximately 2.0% of Capital Investment Counsel LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Capital Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $14,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CAT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,385,185 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,572,681,000 after buying an additional 442,164 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,388,550 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $20,273,039,000 after purchasing an additional 385,204 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,610,182 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,072,572,000 after purchasing an additional 94,524 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,493,266 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $5,438,408,000 after purchasing an additional 54,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 16.0% during the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 928,974 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q3 EPS estimates for Caterpillar, reinforcing the view that earnings momentum may remain strong. Q3 EPS Estimates for Caterpillar Raised by Zacks Research
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Caterpillar’s “unprecedented valuation” tied to the AI infrastructure buildout suggests investors are paying up for CAT’s exposure to data center, power, and heavy equipment demand. Caterpillar Hits Unprecedented Valuation Amid AI Infrastructure Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst roundups continue to list Caterpillar among favored industrial names, implying the stock remains a preferred pick despite broader sector caution. Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Caterpillar
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary says the construction and mining equipment sector faces headwinds, but Caterpillar is still viewed as one of the names worth watching. 3 Construction & Mining Equipment Stocks Braving Industry Headwinds

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Argus boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, HSBC upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $941.45.

Caterpillar Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $1,033.40 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $902.63 and its 200 day moving average is $759.31. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $384.25 and a 52 week high of $1,057.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $475.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.44, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.59.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The business had revenue of $17.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.25 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 19th. Investors of record on Monday, July 20th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 30.06%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction of $14,928,254.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,041 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. The trade was a 26.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 86,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635 over the last 90 days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar 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.

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