Lbp Am Sa Decreases Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Lbp Am Sa lowered its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 50.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,544 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,644 shares during the quarter. Lbp Am Sa's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,169,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CAT. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 962 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 184 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 10,771 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,907,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 21.3% during the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 205 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $578,000 after buying an additional 36 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 $408.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $192.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.38. The firm's 50 day moving average is $359.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $347.93. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. 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 (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 period last year, the business posted $5.60 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current 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 paid a $1.51 dividend. This is a positive change from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 29.43%.

Insider Activity

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson raised their price target on Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Melius upgraded Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Melius Research raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $500.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $404.64.

About Caterpillar

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CAT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.