Vista Investment Partners II LLC Makes New Investment in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Vista Investment Partners II LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 7,435 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,697,000. Caterpillar accounts for about 1.6% of Vista Investment Partners II LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $365.57 per share, for a total transaction of $36,557.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,085.21. The trade was a 3.39 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jason Kaiser sold 2,425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $354.70, for a total value of $860,147.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,225,742.50. This trade represents a 27.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $350.97 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The stock has a market cap of $167.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The business’s 50 day moving average is $363.11 and its 200-day moving average is $372.98.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st were paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 21st. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $350.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wedbush upgraded Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $383.80.

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.