M&G PLC Sells 15,653 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

M&G PLC trimmed its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 58.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,960 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 15,653 shares during the quarter. M&G PLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $575.06, for a total value of $5,750,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,460 shares in the company, valued at $26,142,227.60. This trade represents a 18.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 39,138 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $681.08, for a total value of $26,656,109.04. Following the sale, the insider owned 43,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,524,818. This represents a 47.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 138,436 shares of company stock valued at $94,425,251 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE CAT opened at $764.27 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $357.66 billion, a PE ratio of 40.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.58. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $789.81. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $641.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $546.70.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.67 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The company’s revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.14 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 20th will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $740.00 to $765.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. HSBC raised their target price on Caterpillar from $660.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $610.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $702.95.

Key Headlines Impacting Caterpillar

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar is being highlighted for providing power and infrastructure solutions to high‑tech data centers, a market with strong long‑term demand that could diversify revenue and support higher utilization of its power systems and electrification products. High-tech data centers get a powerful assist from a century-old company
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes that Caterpillar is a trending stock and summarizes factors investors are watching; this reflects retail/institutional attention but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: A personal‑finance roundup that lists long‑term dividend ideas may lift general investor interest in dividend payers, but it’s a broad theme piece and not a direct catalyst for CAT. 2 Dividend Stocks to Hold for the Next 10 Years
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 7,891 shares (~$6.13M at ~$776.90/share) and trimmed his position ~14.5%. Large insider sales can spook investors even if legally routine, adding selling pressure. SEC Filing – Insider Sale by Anthony D. Fassino
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research lowered Q2 EPS estimates for Caterpillar, signaling softer near‑term earnings expectations that can pressure the stock until guidance or results reverse the trend. Q2 EPS Estimates for Caterpillar Lowered by Zacks Research

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.