J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Has $7.46 Million Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 134.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,616 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,960 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $7,459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CAT. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 962 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 10,771 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,907,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Summit X LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 205 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.1% in the first quarter. Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $578,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CAT. UBS Group raised 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 report on Friday, May 16th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $395.00 to $483.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Baird R W raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $419.33.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:CAT traded up $7.63 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $417.70. The stock had a trading volume of 1,329,975 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,501,233. The business's 50 day moving average is $369.61 and its 200-day moving average is $349.62. 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 company has a market cap of $196.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.38. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $419.90.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.71% and a return on equity of 53.77%. Caterpillar's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. This is a positive change from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 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 directly owned 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.