KBC Group NV Has $52.50 Million Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

KBC Group NV cut its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 159,175 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,379 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $52,496,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. McGuire Investment Group LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. McGuire Investment Group LLC now owns 23,097 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,617,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the period. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc now owns 4,125 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,360,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $438,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 7,731 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,550,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the period. Finally, Master S Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 8.7% during the 1st 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 during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $320.70 per share, with a total value 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 represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 0.9%

CAT stock opened at $385.18 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $342.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $345.93. 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 $181.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.37.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 53.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. The company had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. This is an increase from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America raised 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. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $420.00 price target (up from $370.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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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