Clarus Group Inc. Sells 998 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Clarus Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 58.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 714 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 998 shares during the period. Clarus Group Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $236,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Little House Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5.9% during the first quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 7,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,550,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Master S Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 8.7% in the first quarter. Master S Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,055 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $348,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in Caterpillar by 0.4% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,416,464 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $467,150,000 after buying an additional 5,559 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar by 7.0% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,558 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,174,000 after buying an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capitol Family Office Inc. bought a new position in Caterpillar in the first quarter worth about $240,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:CAT opened at $385.18 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $342.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $346.46. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $181.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.37.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research 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. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 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 now owns 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $420.00 price target (up from $370.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target 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. Oppenheimer raised shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.

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