Larson Financial Group LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,341 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Caterpillar by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,616 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $774,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Caterpillar by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,507 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,037,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. ACT Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Caterpillar by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. ACT Wealth Management LLC now owns 877 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 1,893 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Anthony D. Fassino sold 4,575 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.80, for a total transaction of $1,508,835.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,741,725.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $323.37 per share, with a total value of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,741,725.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 45,769 shares of company stock worth $14,509,306 over the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $363.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $204.04 and a one year high of $382.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $348.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $299.59.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its 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 net margin of 15.41% and a return on equity of 56.99%. The firm had revenue of $17.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.86 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CAT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Citigroup raised their price target on Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, April 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.