Master S Wealth Management Inc. Invests $352,000 in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Master S Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 971 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $352,000. Caterpillar comprises 0.2% of Master S Wealth Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CAT. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 688 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 4,247 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Channel Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Caterpillar by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 4,373 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,586,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE CAT traded down $10.11 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $282.73. The company had a trading volume of 997,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,631,631. 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 twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $418.50. The company has a market capitalization of $135.13 billion, a PE ratio of 12.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $327.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $363.58.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar's payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at $2,225,742.50. This represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CAT. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the company from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $325.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $359.36.

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.