Ameriflex Group Inc. Buys Shares of 3,443 Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,443 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,279,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,586,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 857 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 2.3%

CAT stock traded up $7.97 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $351.36. 2,238,603 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,636,514. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $318.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $351.78. The stock has a market cap of $165.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. The business had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.60 EPS. Caterpillar's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 27.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CAT. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird raised Caterpillar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $309.00 to $395.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wedbush raised Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $375.33.

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.