Czech National Bank Increases Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 109,773 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 5,092 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $36,203,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $2,184,364,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 43,447.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,730,259 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,230,239,000 after buying an additional 3,721,693 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 69.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,924,054 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,060,730,000 after acquiring an additional 1,196,861 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $353,231,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 50,072.7% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 804,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $291,938,000 after purchasing an additional 803,166 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,653 shares in the company, valued at $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $1.45 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $350.78. The stock had a trading volume of 784,817 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,597,050. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The business's 50 day moving average is $319.90 and its 200-day moving average is $350.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The company has a market cap of $165.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The business had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.60 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current 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 issued a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of 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. Oppenheimer raised shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 19th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.92.

Caterpillar Company 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.