Vantus Wealth LLC Buys Shares of 1,346 Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Key Points

• Vantus Wealth LLC opened a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter, buying 1,346 shares valued at about $771,000.
• Institutional ownership in Caterpillar remains high, with 70.98% of shares held by hedge funds and institutions, while several smaller investors also recently increased or initiated stakes.
• Wall Street remains constructive on CAT: analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $923.14, and Caterpillar recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates.

Vantus Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,346 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $771,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC boosted 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 buying an additional 35 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CAT shares. Wolfe Research upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $670.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $677.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $930.00 to $989.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $980.00 price objective on Caterpillar and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $923.14.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CAO William E. Schaupp sold 360 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $906.00, for a total value of $326,160.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 530 shares in the company, valued at $480,180. This represents a 40.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 98,273 shares of company stock valued at $89,439,960. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE:CAT opened at $865.95 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $814.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $705.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $398.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.59. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $339.50 and a 12-month high of $931.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. The firm had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.25 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th were paid a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.06%.

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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