Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Buys 1,368 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,269 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 1,368 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $12,291,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 134.2% in the 1st quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 22,616 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,459,000 after buying an additional 12,960 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in Caterpillar by 35.5% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 14,018 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $4,623,000 after buying an additional 3,675 shares during the last quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 114.7% during the 1st quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC now owns 25,710 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,494,000 after buying an additional 13,734 shares during the last quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC now owns 4,108 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,355,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 17.7% during the first quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Down 1.0%

CAT opened at $413.88 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $267.30 and a 12 month high of $419.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The business's 50-day moving average price is $369.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $349.62. The company has a market cap of $194.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.38.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 53.77% and a net margin of 15.71%. Caterpillar's revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.60 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be paid a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the company from $272.00 to $357.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Melius upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $395.00 to $483.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $395.00 to $422.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $412.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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