Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Purchased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Caterpillar Inc. by 2.0% in Q1, holding 219,712 shares valued at approximately $72.46 million.
• Caterpillar's most recent earnings report showed an EPS of $4.72, missing estimates and reflecting a slight revenue decline of 0.7% year-over-year.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.51 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.4% and an increased payout ratio of 30.72%.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 219,712 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,260 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $72,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Curat Global LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,161 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.70, for a total value of $902,649.70. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,605,586.40. This represents a 20.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan C. Schwab sold 2,324 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $952,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,917 shares in the company, valued at $2,835,970. This trade represents a 25.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $1.91 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $433.17. The company had a trading volume of 1,970,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,771,515. The company has a market capitalization of $202.93 billion, a PE ratio of 22.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.40. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $410.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $359.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $441.15.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $4.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.88 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $16.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 period last year, the company earned $5.99 EPS. On average, 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 was paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st were issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CAT. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $460.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $475.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $414.00 to $507.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $450.87.

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.