Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 4.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 171,185 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,053 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $56,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $805,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Victrix Investment Advisors purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,090,000. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $579,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 18.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 191,640 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $63,202,000 after buying an additional 30,070 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $540,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE CAT traded down $2.60 on Friday, hitting $405.73. The company had a trading volume of 2,072,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,530,412. The company has a market capitalization of $191.12 billion, a PE ratio of 19.77, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.38. The company's fifty day moving average price is $360.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $348.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $267.30 and a 12-month high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.60 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 27.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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 report on Friday, May 30th. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 20th. Melius Research raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $500.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Melius raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $404.64.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 purchase, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.