Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Bought by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 21,424 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,334,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gilfoyle & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. A.P. Gilfoyle & Co. L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 272.4% in the 1st quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 730.8% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Maclennan acquired 350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock valued at $14,509,306. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $2.32 on Friday, reaching $354.31. The company had a trading volume of 1,451,086 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,421,012. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $204.04 and a twelve month high of $382.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $345.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $297.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $176.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.76 by $0.47. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 56.99% and a net margin of 15.41%. The company had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.4 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CAT. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.56.

About Caterpillar

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.