Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Position Boosted by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 43.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,623 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 3,544 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $4,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $342.67 on Thursday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The stock has a market cap of $161.41 billion, a PE ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The company's 50-day moving average price is $318.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $353.46.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. The business had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st were issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is 27.49%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wedbush raised shares of Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. 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. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $452.00 to $414.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.

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