Capital Analysts LLC Purchases 604 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Capital Analysts LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. by 68.9%, acquiring an additional 604 shares for a total of 1,480 shares worth $488,000 as of the latest SEC disclosure.
• Caterpillar's quarterly earnings missed expectations with an EPS of $4.72 versus a consensus estimate of $4.88, despite revenue outperforming forecasts at $16.57 billion.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $1.51 per share, up from $1.41, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.4%.

Capital Analysts LLC increased its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 68.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,480 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 962 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 0.8% in the first quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,010 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,322,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Caterpillar by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 10,771 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,907,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Summit X LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 3.2% in the first quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $338,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Menard Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 1.0% in the first quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 3,174 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,019,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Melius Research raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $500.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Caterpillar from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $450.87.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $417.4240 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $267.30 and a 12 month high of $441.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $404.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $357.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market cap of $195.55 billion, a PE ratio of 21.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.40.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88 by ($0.16). Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.95% and a return on equity of 48.95%. The business had revenue of $16.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.99 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 21st were issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 21st. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total value of $902,649.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,632 shares in the company, valued at $3,605,586.40. This trade represents a 20.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.

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