Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,632 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,836 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $12,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $285,382,000 after buying an additional 5,371 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 14.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 443,315 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $174,644,000 after purchasing an additional 55,448 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 635,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $231,686,000 after buying an additional 10,212 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 12,030 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the period. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 6,412 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,326,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CAT traded down $0.82 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $320.07. 1,555,482 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,626,881. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $316.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $356.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $152.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.50, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year 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.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Wedbush raised Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $370.67.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. The trade was a 27.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Profile

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.