Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Takes $270,000 Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 818 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $270,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,688,000 after buying an additional 2,519 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 18,802 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $6,821,000 after buying an additional 2,029 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $805,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 10,351 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,755,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Oppenheimer raised shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 price target (up previously from $370.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $380.83.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock traded up $0.90 on Friday, reaching $399.33. 1,737,838 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,523,847. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $351.96 and a 200-day moving average of $346.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $188.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.38. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its 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). The company had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.71% and a return on equity of 53.77%. Caterpillar's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a $1.51 dividend. 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 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.49%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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.