Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. Purchases Shares of 783 Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 783 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $449,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Plancorp LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,777 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,591,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. KDT Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Caterpillar by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. KDT Advisors LLC now owns 657 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $376,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 626 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sandy Cove Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Cove Advisors LLC now owns 1,279 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $733,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $922.92, for a total value of $22,354,968.24. Following the transaction, the insider owned 86,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,397,884.68. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 15,674 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $918.71, for a total transaction of $14,399,860.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,631,913.85. This trade represents a 22.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 98,273 shares of company stock worth $89,439,960 in the last quarter. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $887.04 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a twelve month low of $339.50 and a twelve month high of $931.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $807.51 and its 200 day moving average is $701.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $408.56 billion, a PE ratio of 44.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.63.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.65 by $0.89. Caterpillar had a net margin of 13.33% and a return on equity of 48.21%. The company had revenue of $17.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.25 EPS. Caterpillar’s quarterly revenue was up 22.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.67 EPS for the current 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 issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is 30.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $905.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $820.00 to $990.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Caterpillar from $650.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday, February 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $923.14.

Caterpillar 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.