Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Bought by Counterweight Ventures LLC

Counterweight Ventures LLC increased its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,966 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the quarter. Counterweight Ventures LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $1,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 11.8% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 77,811 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,433,000 after purchasing an additional 8,212 shares in the last quarter. LifePro Asset Management acquired a new stake in Caterpillar during the 3rd quarter valued at $774,000. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the third quarter worth $570,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 4.6% during the third quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 10,829 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,235,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its position in Caterpillar by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,618 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $633,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, Director Gerald Johnson purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $398.57 per share, for a total transaction of $39,857.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,176,977.21. The trade was a 3.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 45,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,173,226.38. This represents a 18.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Trading Down 0.4 %

Caterpillar stock opened at $363.84 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12-month low of $307.05 and a 12-month high of $418.50. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $377.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $371.18.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The industrial products company reported $5.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.97 by $0.17. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.18% and a net margin of 16.65%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 21st will be given a dividend of $1.41 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 21st. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on CAT. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $455.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $515.00 to $490.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Caterpillar from $330.00 to $300.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Caterpillar from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $383.13.

Caterpillar Company 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.