3,104 Shares in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Bought by Machina Capital S.A.S.

Key Points

• Machina Capital S.A.S. has acquired 3,104 shares of Caterpillar Inc., valued at approximately $1,024,000, during the first quarter of the year.
• Caterpillar's recent quarterly earnings report revealed an EPS of $4.25, which missed analysts' estimates by $0.10, and a revenue of $14.25 billion, down 9.8% year-over-year.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend to $1.51 per share, up from $1.41, representing a 1.39% yield for investors.

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,104 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,024,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 112,248 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $37,019,000 after buying an additional 642 shares in the last quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp raised its stake in Caterpillar by 1.9% during the first quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 41,461 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $13,674,000 after buying an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Carbahal Olsen Financial Services Group LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Finally, City National Bank of Florida MSD raised its stake in Caterpillar by 24.2% during the first quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD now owns 1,117 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Caterpillar from $395.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Bank of America increased their price target on Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Baird R W upgraded Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $419.33.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT traded up $1.77 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $435.52. 687,817 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,672,452. The company has a market capitalization of $205.15 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $377.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $351.76. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $435.83.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 53.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. The business's revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.60 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This is a positive change from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.43%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.