BNP Paribas Purchases 4,113 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

BNP Paribas raised its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 72.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,799 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,113 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas’ holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 220.0% during the 4th quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC increased its stake in Caterpillar by 140.0% during the 4th quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total transaction of $22,354,968.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 86,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,397,884.68. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total transaction of $14,928,254.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at $42,210,388.80. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 98,273 shares of company stock valued at $89,439,960. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

CAT opened at $865.95 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $398.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.10, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.59. The company’s 50 day moving average is $814.65 and its 200 day moving average is $705.34. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $339.50 and a 12-month high of $931.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.67 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th were issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is currently 30.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on CAT. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $860.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,103.00 price target on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $923.14.

Caterpillar Company Profile

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.