Alpha Cubed Investments LLC Acquires 14,063 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 11.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 139,204 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 14,063 shares during the period. Caterpillar comprises approximately 2.0% of Alpha Cubed Investments LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $45,909,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,688,000 after buying an additional 2,519 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 38.3% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $805,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 4,430 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,607,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $6.32 during trading on Monday, reaching $391.54. The company had a trading volume of 3,012,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,526,772. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $418.50. The firm's fifty day moving average is $351.96 and its 200 day moving average is $346.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.43 billion, a PE ratio of 19.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.38.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released 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 15.71% and a return on equity of 53.77%. The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. This is a positive change from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the subject of several research reports. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $420.00 price target (up from $370.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $380.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.