Caterpillar Inc. $CAT Shares Purchased by Trek Financial LLC

Trek Financial LLC raised its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 143.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,642 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,271 shares during the quarter. Trek Financial LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CAT. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 1,060.0% in the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 58 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. IFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Caterpillar by 47.4% in the 4th quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC grew its position in Caterpillar by 140.0% in the 4th quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CAT shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 target price on Caterpillar and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $790.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Caterpillar from $900.00 to $1,045.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $911.77.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jason Kaiser sold 5,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $883.03, for a total transaction of $4,982,055.26. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,594 shares in the company, valued at $8,471,789.82. The trade was a 37.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total value of $22,354,968.24. Following the sale, the insider owned 86,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. The trade was a 21.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 75,734 shares of company stock valued at $67,054,613 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of Caterpillar stock opened at $925.54 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $336.24 and a one year high of $931.35. The company has a market cap of $426.30 billion, a PE ratio of 46.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $761.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $670.30.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The business had revenue of $17.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Investors of record on Monday, April 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 20th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc is a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and locomotives. The company’s product portfolio includes earthmoving machines such as excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders and off‑highway trucks, as well as a range of power generation products including generator sets and power systems for industrial and commercial use. Caterpillar serves customers across heavy construction, mining, energy, transportation and related industries with both equipment and integrated technology solutions.

In addition to manufacturing, Caterpillar provides a broad range of aftermarket parts and support services, including maintenance, repair, remanufacturing and fleet management tools.