IFM Investors Pty Ltd Increases Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 9.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 100,278 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,666 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $33,072,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Curat Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.2%

Caterpillar stock traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $399.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,737,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,524,822. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $418.50. The stock has a market cap of $188.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $351.96 and a 200-day moving average of $346.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a return on equity of 53.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.60 earnings per share. Caterpillar's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current 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 1.51%. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 27.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 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, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,653 shares in the company, valued at $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on CAT. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Baird R W raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $380.83.

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.