Caprock Group LLC Purchases 1,977 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Caprock Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 15.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,914 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,977 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $5,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 334.8% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC raised its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 42.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC lifted its holdings in Caterpillar by 130.0% in the 4th quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 115 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.09, for a total transaction of $3,800,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 45,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,173,226.38. This trade represents a 18.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel M. Dickinson sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $418.00, for a total transaction of $543,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,976 shares in the company, valued at $2,079,968. This represents a 20.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,900 shares of company stock worth $13,111,601. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE CAT opened at $371.88 on Friday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $299.93 and a 1-year high of $418.50. The company has a 50-day moving average of $381.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $370.82. The company has a market cap of $179.54 billion, a PE ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.26% and a return on equity of 59.09%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $295.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup raised their price target on Caterpillar from $420.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Caterpillar from $299.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $380.13.

Caterpillar Profile

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.