Sentry LLC Buys 1,623 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Sentry LLC raised its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 8.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,904 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for 1.3% of Sentry LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Sentry LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CAT. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,396,000. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $997,000. Finally, WealthPLAN Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 1,274 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $396.00 target price (up from $389.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.92.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock traded up $5.16 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $362.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,579,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,560,404. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $170.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.37. The stock's fifty day moving average is $327.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $347.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. The business had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.60 EPS. The business's revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 29.43%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.