Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Stake Trimmed by Willis Investment Counsel

Key Points

• Willis Investment Counsel cut its Caterpillar stake by 44.3% in the third quarter, selling 24,156 shares and retaining 30,414 shares worth approximately $24.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.98% of CAT.
• CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares worth about $26.2 million, reducing his ownership by 48.39%; company insiders now own 0.33% of the stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $967.83. Caterpillar also reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations and declared a $1.63 quarterly dividend.

Willis Investment Counsel reduced its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 44.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 30,414 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 24,156 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $24,659,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,741,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Inspirion Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 944 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $936,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Bell Bank boosted its position in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Bank now owns 1,865 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,986,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbeam Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Sunbeam Capital Management LLC now owns 1,164 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $825,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 34,555 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. This represents a 48.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. President Capital initiated coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, September 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $999.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $900.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price objective on Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $845.00 to $882.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $967.83.

Caterpillar News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts generally view Caterpillar as a potentially attractive investment, providing supportive sentiment for CAT. However, the article notes that analyst recommendations should be considered alongside valuation and fundamentals rather than treated as a stand-alone buy signal. Wall Street Analysts Think Caterpillar Is a Good Investment
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is investing $10 million to expand its workforce and manufacturing presence in North Carolina. The move could support production capacity, local operations, and longer-term demand fulfillment, although the near-term earnings benefit is likely limited. Caterpillar Expands North Carolina Manufacturing Workforce Investment
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks comparison examines how Caterpillar has performed year to date against W.W. Grainger and other industrial-products companies. The report provides useful relative-performance context but does not identify a new company-specific catalyst. Is Caterpillar Stock Outpacing Its Industrial Products Peers This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles listing mining stocks to follow or consider adding to a watchlist mention the broader mining-investment theme, but they do not provide a material new update on Caterpillar’s orders, earnings, or outlook. Mining Stocks to Follow Today Promising Mining Stocks to Add to Your Watchlist

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Caterpillar stock traded down $1.66 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $724.13. The company had a trading volume of 1,157,016 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,816,731. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $510.21 and a 52-week high of $1,073.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $332.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a 50 day moving average of $810.02 and a 200 day moving average of $856.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $8.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.22 by $1.95. The business had revenue of $20.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.34 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 55.53% and a net margin of 14.51%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.72 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 28.06%.

About Caterpillar

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.

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