Westerkirk Capital Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Westerkirk Capital Inc. increased its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 71.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,914 shares during the period. Westerkirk Capital Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $6,778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CAT. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 220.0% in the fourth quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. IFS Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Caterpillar by 47.4% in the fourth quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 56 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 140.0% during the 4th quarter. Noble Wealth Management PBC now owns 60 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of CAT opened at $915.27 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $836.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $718.16. The stock has a market cap of $421.57 billion, a PE ratio of 45.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.59. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $353.92 and a 12 month high of $946.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 48.21% and a net margin of 13.33%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.25 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Caterpillar from $905.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $915.00 price objective on Caterpillar and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $900.00 price objective on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $933.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $907.91, for a total value of $11,444,205.55. Following the transaction, the insider owned 49,825 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 16,283 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.80, for a total value of $14,928,254.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,041 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,210,388.80. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 95,773 shares of company stock valued at $87,642,635. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Company Profile

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.