SageGuard Financial Group LLC Invests $8.79 Million in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• SageGuard Financial Group LLC initiated a new position in Caterpillar, buying 15,350 shares worth about $8.79 million, which represents roughly 1.4% of its portfolio and is its 25th largest holding.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently — including notable sales by William E. Schaupp and Rodney M. Shurman — with a total of 125,950 shares sold valued at about $88.58 million over the last 90 days (insiders now own 0.33% of the stock).
• Caterpillar beat quarterly estimates (EPS $5.16 vs. $4.67; revenue $19.13B vs. $17.81B), pays a quarterly dividend of $1.51 (annual $6.04, yield ~0.8%), trades near its 52-week high (~$798), and carries a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $757.55.

SageGuard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 15,350 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $8,794,000. Caterpillar makes up about 1.4% of SageGuard Financial Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1,060.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth $32,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% during the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 140.0% during the fourth quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 972 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $764.20, for a total value of $742,802.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $629,700.80. The trade was a 54.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total value of $1,730,391.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,096,117.23. This represents a 61.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390 over the last 90 days. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.5%

CAT stock opened at $798.76 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $371.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $736.37 and a 200-day moving average of $638.56. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $282.46 and a fifty-two week high of $801.77.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.81 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.14 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 22.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar's payout ratio is currently 32.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Williams Trading set a $825.00 price target on Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $817.00 to $832.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $425.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $805.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $757.55.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company's product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.

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