Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Acquired by NorthRock Partners LLC

NorthRock Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 89.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,062 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,744 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. West Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth about $230,000. Cadinha & Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth approximately $11,084,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 23,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,414,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $805,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zhang Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 9,158 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,322,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $352.58 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $317.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $354.64. The company has a market capitalization of $166.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $267.30 and a twelve month high of $418.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.60 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.49%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In related news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on CAT. Oppenheimer upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $395.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Raymond James upgraded Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Caterpillar from $325.00 to $331.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Baird R W upgraded Caterpillar from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Wedbush upgraded shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $377.83.

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.