Smithfield Trust Co Purchases 1,011 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 22.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,463 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 1,011 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $3,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,237,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at $8,893,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 165,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $79,053,000 after acquiring an additional 4,010 shares in the last quarter. Juno Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $877,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 73,363 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,023,000 after acquiring an additional 2,565 shares in the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 24,222 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 86,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,397,884.68. This represents a 21.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Denise C. Johnson sold 12,605 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 49,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,236,615.75. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 98,273 shares of company stock worth $89,439,960. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $587.00 to $658.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Oppenheimer set a $980.00 price target on Caterpillar and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $960.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $940.00 to $1,165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Caterpillar from $860.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $923.14.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of CAT opened at $880.23 on Tuesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $336.24 and a 12-month high of $931.35. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $795.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $694.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock has a market cap of $405.42 billion, a PE ratio of 43.81, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 1.63.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.54 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $16.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Caterpillar Inc. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 20th were issued a $1.51 dividend. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 20th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.06%.

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.