Caterpillar Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $1.51 (NYSE:CAT)

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th will be given a dividend of 1.51 per share by the industrial products company on Tuesday, May 19th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 20th.

Caterpillar has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 30 years. Caterpillar has a dividend payout ratio of 28.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Caterpillar to earn $22.11 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $6.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 27.3%.

Caterpillar Stock Up 6.5%

CAT opened at $771.46 on Thursday. Caterpillar has a fifty-two week low of $269.13 and a fifty-two week high of $789.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $721.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $619.87. The company has a market capitalization of $358.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.52.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $5.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.67 by $0.49. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.14% and a return on equity of 45.76%. The firm had revenue of $19.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Rodney Michael Shurman sold 2,278 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $759.61, for a total value of $1,730,391.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,096,117.23. The trade was a 61.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 10,671 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.45, for a total value of $7,261,081.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,001,197.95. This represents a 20.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 125,950 shares of company stock valued at $88,577,390 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Caterpillar

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisory Resource Group increased its position in Caterpillar by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $935,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Invst LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Invst LLC now owns 753 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Plancorp LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,591,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $683,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, KDT Advisors LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. KDT Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.