Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Acquires 8,271 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 318,875 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,271 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned 0.07% of Caterpillar worth $105,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock opened at $366.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $172.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.37. The firm's fifty day moving average is $335.33 and its 200 day moving average is $346.24. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.60 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 1.65%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar 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, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. The trade was a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of 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 given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $376.67.

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.

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