State of Wisconsin Investment Board Sells 6,388 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• State of Wisconsin Investment Board trimmed its Caterpillar stake by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,388 shares and ending with 245,658 shares valued at about $140.7 million.
• Caterpillar posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $5.54 and revenue of $17.42 billion, both ahead of expectations, while revenue rose 22.2% year over year.
• The company also raised its dividend to $1.63 per share from $1.51, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and average price target of $933.27.

State of Wisconsin Investment Board decreased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 245,658 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 6,388 shares during the period. State of Wisconsin Investment Board owned 0.05% of Caterpillar worth $140,730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 141,582 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $81,108,000 after purchasing an additional 7,494 shares during the last quarter. &PARTNERS lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 99,386 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $56,952,000 after purchasing an additional 16,494 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 51.0% in the fourth quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 25,460 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $14,585,000 after purchasing an additional 8,599 shares during the last quarter. Titan Wealth CI Ltd bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth about $6,387,000. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 116,252 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $66,597,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts say Caterpillar stands out versus Komatsu thanks to stronger earnings momentum, rising growth targets, and better profitability, despite tariff pressure. Caterpillar vs. Komatsu: Which Heavy Equipment Stock is the Better Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage points to Caterpillar as a major driver of the Dow’s gains, reflecting strong investor demand for the stock. Dow rallies 488 points on gains in shares of JPMorgan Chase, Caterpillar
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary says CAT has surged on solid quarterly results, strong backlog, AI-driven power generation demand, and aggressive buybacks, supporting the bullish case. 2 Reasons to Watch CAT and 1 to Stay Cautious
• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar’s dividend increase was highlighted as sustainable, reinforcing confidence in cash flow and shareholder returns. 3 Dividend Increases Investors Can Actually Trust
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles argued that CAT remains a world-class industrial company and a long-term growth story, but these are mainly valuation and strategy discussions rather than new catalysts. Caterpillar: A World-Class Industrial At A World-Class Price Tag
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on CAT’s huge year-to-date move and how much upside remains is more about investor debate than a direct fundamental update. Up 300% YTD, How High Can CAT Stock Rally This Year?

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $946.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $436.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.12, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.59. The company's 50 day moving average is $860.76 and its 200 day moving average is $733.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52-week low of $356.96 and a 52-week high of $961.33.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The company had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. Caterpillar's revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 20th. This is a positive change from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.51. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is 30.06%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 5,642 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $883.03, for a total transaction of $4,982,055.26. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,594 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,471,789.82. This trade represents a 37.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total transaction of $11,444,205.55. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635 over the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $900.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $960.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $933.27.

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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