Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Position Increased by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,242 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 932 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 42.9% in the third quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 334.8% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 130.0% during the 4th quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $353.31 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $372.47 and its 200-day moving average is $371.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $170.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $307.05 and a one year high of $418.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Equities analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 20.05 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 25.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 6,279 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.59, for a total transaction of $2,565,536.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 33,565 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,714,323.35. This represents a 15.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.13.

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.