Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Holdings Decreased by Paradiem LLC

Paradiem LLC lessened its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,893 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 946 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises 2.7% of Paradiem LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Paradiem LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $9,859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 38.3% during the fourth 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 acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,090,000. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $579,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 18.6% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 191,640 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $63,202,000 after purchasing an additional 30,070 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,688,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $376.67.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of CAT stock traded up $6.13 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $366.65. 2,925,494 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,534,622. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $333.96 and a 200 day moving average of $346.44. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $418.50. The firm has a market cap of $172.71 billion, a PE ratio of 17.87, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.37.

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

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.