Cetera Investment Advisers Grows Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 0.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 235,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,671 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Caterpillar were worth $77,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. The trade was a 5.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $434.07 on Friday. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $377.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $351.88. The firm has a market cap of $204.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.38. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $267.30 and a 12 month high of $434.87.

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 net margin of 15.71% and a return on equity of 53.77%. The business had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.60 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share 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 paid a $1.51 dividend. This is an increase from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 29.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on CAT shares. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $419.33.

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.

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