20,803 Shares in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Acquired by Voloridge Investment Management LLC

Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 20,803 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $7,546,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pacific Point Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $579,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,688,000 after acquiring an additional 2,519 shares during the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 3,354 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Jacksonville Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $642,000. Finally, Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 33,273 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $12,070,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.5%

Caterpillar stock traded down $1.83 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $349.68. The company had a trading volume of 1,921,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,633,677. The stock has a market cap of $164.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $318.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $351.78.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.60 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st were given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought 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 directly owns 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CAT shares. Robert W. Baird raised shares of Caterpillar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $309.00 to $395.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Oppenheimer raised Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $395.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Baird R W upgraded Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $375.33.

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.