Kestra Investment Management LLC Has $665,000 Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Kestra Investment Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. by 52.5%, bringing its total holdings to 2,017 shares valued at approximately $665,000.
• Caterpillar recently reported earnings of $4.72 per share, missing estimates, while the company also announced a dividend increase from $1.41 to $1.51 per share.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook for Caterpillar, with target prices ranging from $331.00 to $500.00 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 52.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,017 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 694 shares during the quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victrix Investment Advisors acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,090,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Caterpillar by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,304,448 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,089,798,000 after buying an additional 15,347 shares during the period. Pacific Point Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $579,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 18.6% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 191,640 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $63,202,000 after acquiring an additional 30,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 3.4% in the first quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 22,689 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,483,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $423.09 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $441.15. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $417.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $362.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.21 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.41.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.88 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $16.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.14 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 14.95% and a return on equity of 48.95%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.99 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 21st were given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This is an increase from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total transaction of $952,840.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,835,970. The trade was a 25.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total transaction of $902,649.70. Following the sale, the insider owned 8,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,605,586.40. This trade represents a 20.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,653 shares of company stock worth $8,943,642. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $331.00 to $388.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $414.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Caterpillar from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $476.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $383.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $457.20.

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.

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