FORA Capital LLC Makes New $4.47 Million Investment in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

FORA Capital LLC purchased 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 & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 12,311 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $4,466,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. West Wealth Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth approximately $230,000. Cadinha & Co. LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth $11,084,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 23,193 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,414,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $805,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the period. Finally, Zhang Financial LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 9,158 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,322,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Stock Up 3.3%

CAT stock traded up $11.42 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $353.97. The stock had a trading volume of 2,488,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,631,235. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $267.30 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The company has a market capitalization of $166.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.04, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $316.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $354.65.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.60 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.49%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CAT. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Robert W. Baird upgraded Caterpillar from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $309.00 to $395.00 in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $377.83.

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.