Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Acquired by Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 59.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 976 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Gilfoyle & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 272.4% during the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 730.8% during the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Caterpillar during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares in the company, valued at $17,774,001.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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. Insiders have sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306 over the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $216.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $307.56.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $359.17. The stock had a trading volume of 160,330 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,404,130. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $179.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.79, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.17. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $204.04 and a 1-year high of $382.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $345.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $296.78.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $17.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.86 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.82%.

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.