Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Bought by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 427,820 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,363 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $155,196,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAT. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 729,654 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $285,382,000 after acquiring an additional 5,371 shares during the period. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 47.2% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the third quarter worth $854,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.9% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 13,317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,208,000 after acquiring an additional 376 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar by 26.6% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,012 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,569,000 after acquiring an additional 843 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT stock opened at $306.96 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $320.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $359.48. The firm has a market cap of $146.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.91, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.21. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 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 data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. Analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CAT. Morgan Stanley raised Caterpillar from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $430.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $438.00 to $389.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $325.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Raymond James raised Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $361.75.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 3,053 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. This represents a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total transaction of $860,147.50. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

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.