Northstar Financial Companies Inc. Takes Position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,310 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $475,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of CAT traded down $4.69 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $347.10. 4,866,863 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,640,639. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The business has a 50-day moving average of $319.22 and a 200-day moving average of $351.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $163.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.60 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were issued a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 27.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on CAT shares. Raymond James raised shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $372.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.