Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Sells 23,413 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lowered its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 7.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 276,946 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 23,413 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.06% of Caterpillar worth $91,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,449,770 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,790,841,000 after purchasing an additional 236,315 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,847,330 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,483,937,000 after buying an additional 724,477 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,184,364,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 8.6% during 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 valued at $1,429,416,000 after buying an additional 312,878 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 43,447.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,730,259 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,230,239,000 after buying an additional 3,721,693 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Melius raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $500.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Melius Research raised shares of Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $500.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. 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, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Seven 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $419.33.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT traded up $2.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $432.08. The stock had a trading volume of 747,553 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,676,197. The company's fifty day moving average is $375.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $351.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $431.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.38.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.60 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. This is an increase from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $320.70 per share, for a total transaction of $120,262.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 6,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.