Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Acquires 3,669 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 7.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,219 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,669 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $16,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 price objective (up from $370.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $380.83.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Caterpillar stock traded up $1.89 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $393.40. The company had a trading volume of 467,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,518,742. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $353.66 and a 200-day moving average of $346.92. The firm has a market cap of $185.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.38.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.60 earnings per share. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. This is an increase from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.43%.

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.