TFR Capital LLC. Increases Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

TFR Capital LLC. boosted its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 167.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,053 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,285 shares during the period. TFR Capital LLC.'s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CAT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,809,540 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $16,980,629,000 after acquiring an additional 284,366 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,449,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,790,841,000 after purchasing an additional 236,315 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,847,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,483,937,000 after purchasing an additional 724,477 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $2,184,364,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,940,391 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,429,416,000 after purchasing an additional 312,878 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE CAT traded down $2.60 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $405.73. 2,072,409 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,530,412. The company has a market cap of $191.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.38. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $360.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $348.06. 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 one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $14.25 billion during 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% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.49%.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CAT. UBS Group upgraded Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $272.00 to $357.00 in a report on Friday, May 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 note on Monday, May 5th. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $404.64.

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.