Ellenbecker Investment Group Buys Shares of 901 Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Ellenbecker Investment Group bought a new stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 901 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co of Kansas acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $207,000. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 25,756 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,615,000 after purchasing an additional 2,905 shares during the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 21,933 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $6,485,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc boosted its holdings in Caterpillar by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 2,234 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $661,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA now owns 1,063 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $300.00 to $338.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $307.56.

Caterpillar Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded up $5.64 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $363.25. The stock had a trading volume of 1,809,563 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,428,497. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.04 and a 1 year high of $382.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $347.42 and its 200-day moving average is $298.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.17.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The industrial products company reported $5.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.76 by $0.47. Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The business had revenue of $17.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 25.82%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 67,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total transaction of $3,000,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 67,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,197,792.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306. Corporate insiders own 0.33% 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.