Aspire Growth Partners LLC Makes New $384,000 Investment in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Aspire Growth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 1,059 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $384,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,809,540 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,980,629,000 after acquiring an additional 284,366 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,449,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,790,841,000 after buying an additional 236,315 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 9,081,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,294,505,000 after buying an additional 129,143 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 11.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,847,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,483,937,000 after acquiring an additional 724,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,184,364,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Bank of America cut their target price on Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Baird R W upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Raymond James raised Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $370.67.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.5 %

Caterpillar stock traded down $1.76 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $321.35. The stock had a trading volume of 1,722,052 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,628,522. The stock has a market capitalization of $153.58 billion, a PE ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $317.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $356.78.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. The company had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 27.49%.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.