Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Buys 3,000 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. lifted its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 22.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,300 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,809,540 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,980,629,000 after buying an additional 284,366 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,449,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,790,841,000 after buying an additional 236,315 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,847,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,483,937,000 after buying an additional 724,477 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,184,364,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,940,391 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,429,416,000 after buying an additional 312,878 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of CAT traded up $0.90 on Friday, hitting $399.33. 1,737,838 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,524,822. The company has a market capitalization of $188.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $351.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $346.74. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 53.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. The company had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.60 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This is an increase from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 27.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 price target (up previously from $370.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Six investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $380.83.

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.