Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Sells 113 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. cut its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 4.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,686 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 113 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $984,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 4th quarter worth $1,660,560,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 28,603.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,494,018 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,417,360,000 after acquiring an additional 1,488,813 shares in the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 27,495.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,182,453 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $349,616,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178,168 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Caterpillar by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,264,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $947,875,000 after acquiring an additional 529,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its stake in Caterpillar by 5,293.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 482,360 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $142,620,000 after buying an additional 473,416 shares during the last quarter. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Caterpillar Price Performance

NYSE CAT traded up $6.18 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $350.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,894,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,951,150. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.12. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.76 and a 1-year high of $382.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The company’s 50-day moving average is $336.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $335.97.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. The company had revenue of $15.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.07 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.61 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, June 12th that allows the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase up to 12.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 22nd will be given a $1.41 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 22nd. This represents a $5.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Caterpillar

In other Caterpillar news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,847 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.90, for a total value of $7,797,194.30. Following the sale, the insider now owns 71,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,380,943.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $356.90, for a total transaction of $7,797,194.30. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 71,115 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,380,943.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Cheryl H. Johnson sold 1,508 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $527,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,515 shares in the company, valued at $6,480,250. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,863 shares of company stock valued at $8,837,714 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $380.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Caterpillar from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $293.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Raymond James assumed coverage on Caterpillar in a research note on Friday, June 28th. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $329.63.

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.