Van Strum & Towne Inc. Acquires 970 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Van Strum & Towne Inc. lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 32.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,965 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 970 shares during the quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CAT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,809,540 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $16,980,629,000 after purchasing an additional 284,366 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,449,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,790,841,000 after purchasing an additional 236,315 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,847,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,483,937,000 after purchasing an additional 724,477 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $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% during the fourth 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 worth $1,429,416,000 after purchasing an additional 312,878 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of CAT stock traded up $0.85 on Thursday, hitting $428.44. 1,042,467 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,679,733. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $429.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The business has a 50-day moving average of $373.81 and a 200 day moving average of $350.94.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.60 EPS. The business's revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This is a positive change from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on CAT. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $335.00 to $383.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Baird R W raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $395.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $419.33.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 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, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.