Flputnam Investment Management Co. Buys 1,665 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 18,246 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,665 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $10,453,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% during the fourth quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 140.0% during the fourth quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage noted that Caterpillar flashed a buy signal as the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 hit new highs, reflecting broad strength in industrial and AI-related names. Dow Jones Futures Rise After S&P 500, Nasdaq Hit Highs; 5 AI Stocks In Buy Areas
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are focusing on a “hidden AI revenue stream” in Caterpillar’s financials: about $10.2 billion in generator sales to data centers last year, which supports the idea that CAT benefits from AI buildout even though it is not a pure-play AI stock. A $10.2 Billion Hidden AI Revenue Stream Most Investors Are Missing
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article discussed Caterpillar in the context of the Iran war and whether it is a buy, sell or hold, but it did not add a clear new catalyst for the stock. Is Caterpillar a Buy, Sell, or Hold Amid the Iran War?
• Neutral Sentiment: Clinch Resources’ purchase of a Caterpillar highwall miner is a small equipment-order headline that may support sentiment around CAT’s mining product line, but it is not likely to move the stock on its own. Clinch Resources acquires first Caterpillar highwall miner for West Virginia met coal operation

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $905.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $850.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report 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 report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $923.14.

Caterpillar Trading Up 3.3%

CAT stock opened at $909.25 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $799.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $696.43. 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 $339.50 and a 52-week high of $931.35. The firm has a market cap of $418.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.26, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.63.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th were paid a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.06%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total value of $11,444,205.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at $45,236,615.75. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total value of $14,399,860.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,631,913.85. This represents a 22.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 98,273 shares of company stock worth $89,439,960. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Caterpillar

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.