KPP Advisory Services LLC Raises Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

KPP Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 275.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,184 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,602 shares during the period. KPP Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $2,184,364,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 43,447.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,730,259 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,230,239,000 after buying an additional 3,721,693 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 69.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,924,054 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,060,730,000 after buying an additional 1,196,861 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at $353,231,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 50,072.7% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 804,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $291,938,000 after buying an additional 803,166 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group raised Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Baird R W raised Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Six 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $380.83.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $381.70 on Friday. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $340.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $346.48. The stock has a market cap of $179.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.37. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50.

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). The business had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.71% and a return on equity of 53.77%. Caterpillar's revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.60 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This is a positive change 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 dividend yield of 1.58%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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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