Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Acquired by Marks Group Wealth Management Inc

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $661,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gilfoyle & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Rational Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

NYSE CAT traded up $6.81 on Tuesday, reaching $364.42. The stock had a trading volume of 1,120,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,419,193. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market cap of $181.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.17. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $347.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $298.90. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.04 and a 12-month high of $382.01.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.06 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.86 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on CAT shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $210.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 57,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased 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 owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total value of $3,101,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306 over the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.