V Square Quantitative Management LLC Acquires 2,141 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 33.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,464 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 2,141 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,660,560,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 28,603.5% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,494,018 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,417,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,488,813 shares in the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its position in Caterpillar by 27,495.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,182,453 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $349,616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178,168 shares during the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2,265.3% during the third quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,117,830 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $305,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 14.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,038,207 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,648,431,000 after buying an additional 781,111 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at $1,693,812.06. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total value of $1,508,835.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at $7,741,725.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,238 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of CAT traded down $3.59 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $359.16. The stock had a trading volume of 1,840,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,474,364. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $356.48 and a 200 day moving average of $313.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The company has a market cap of $175.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.19. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $205.60 and a 52 week high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. HSBC boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $323.35.

Caterpillar Company 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.

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