Kentucky Retirement Systems Has $37.22 Million Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 80.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,539 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,467 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar makes up about 1.3% of Kentucky Retirement Systems' investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Kentucky Retirement Systems' holdings in Caterpillar were worth $37,222,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% in the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total transaction of $14,399,860.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $48,631,913.85. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 95,773 shares of company stock worth $87,642,635. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CAT. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $700.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $1,043.00 to $1,218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays increased their target price on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Erste Group Bank cut Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $900.00 price objective (down from $1,200.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $966.29.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar announced an investment of up to $10 million in Illinois as part of its five-year, $100 million workforce initiative. The program will support training and recruitment for manufacturing and industrial technician jobs, potentially strengthening the company’s long-term labor pipeline. Caterpillar Invests in the Future of Manufacturing Talent in Illinois
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and market commentators remain constructive ahead of Caterpillar’s upcoming earnings report. Zacks upgraded the stock to a Rank #2, citing improving earnings prospects and the potential for an earnings beat. What Makes Caterpillar a New Buy Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Caterpillar is scheduled to be among next week’s closely watched earnings reports. Investors will focus on order trends, demand, margins, tariffs and whether data-center-related generator sales can offset broader concerns. The Week Ahead: Jobs Data, Top 10 Earnings Reports to Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Caterpillar’s exposure to technology companies building artificial-intelligence data centers, where its generators can provide backup power and speed construction timelines. Satya Nadella’s Microsoft Needs Power. Joe Creed’s Caterpillar Sells It.
• Negative Sentiment: Baird downgraded CAT to Hold from Buy and cut its price target by $300 to $900. Analyst Mig Dobre cited growing public and political backlash against data-center construction, raising concerns about the durability of AI-related demand that has helped support the stock’s rally. Caterpillar Is Downgraded on Growing Data Center Buildout Backlash
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns are amplifying the downgrade. Commentary noted that Caterpillar trades at a substantial premium to its historical valuation, leaving less room for disappointment if growth expectations or data-center spending cool. Caterpillar Trades at Three Times Its Historical Multiple
• Negative Sentiment: Additional risks include possible supply-chain pressure from China’s rare-earth export restrictions, which could raise costs or complicate sourcing of components used in advanced equipment. Caterpillar Faces Rare Earth Squeeze

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $782.32 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $926.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $810.15. The company has a market cap of $360.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.57. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $405.46 and a 12 month high of $1,073.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The company had revenue of $17.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.53 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.25 earnings per share. Caterpillar's quarterly revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.87 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 20th. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.45%.

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.

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