Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Purchased by TruWealth Advisors LLC

TruWealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,135 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. TruWealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $7,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT traded down $0.56 on Thursday, reaching $348.77. 1,752,846 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,600,760. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $319.90 and a 200-day moving average price of $350.35. The firm has a market cap of $164.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. 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 fifty-two week low of $267.30 and a fifty-two week high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 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 previous year, the company earned $5.60 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CAT. Baird R W raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $372.92.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. The trade was a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

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.