Peoples Bank KS Reduces Stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Peoples Bank KS trimmed its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 40.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,603 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 1,105 shares during the period. Peoples Bank KS's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $529,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar by 38.3% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $805,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Victrix Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,090,000. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 34,837 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $12,637,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares during the period. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 14.6% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 5,724 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,076,000 after purchasing an additional 730 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MFG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $2,308,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

CAT stock traded up $4.86 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $349.53. 2,613,297 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,617,555. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $319.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $350.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $164.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.60 earnings per share. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a $1.41 dividend. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CAT. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $372.92.

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.