Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Acquired by Alpha Cubed Investments LLC

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 98,386 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 9,460 shares during the period. Caterpillar accounts for approximately 1.6% of Alpha Cubed Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $29,090,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $4,417,360,000 after purchasing an additional 1,488,813 shares in the last quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2,265.3% in the 3rd quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,117,830 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $305,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,570 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,038,207 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,648,431,000 after purchasing an additional 781,111 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 5,293.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 482,360 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $142,620,000 after purchasing an additional 473,416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar in the 3rd quarter valued at about $101,872,000. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Caterpillar news, CFO Andrew R. J. Bonfield sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.10, for a total transaction of $3,101,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 57,317 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,774,001.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan bought 350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 35,769 shares of company stock worth $11,508,906 in the last ninety days. 0.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Caterpillar Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT traded down $15.23 on Tuesday, reaching $334.57. 4,189,127 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,513,906. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The business’s 50-day moving average is $350.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $301.75. Caterpillar Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.60 and a fifty-two week high of $382.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.20, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.17.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.48. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 58.61% and a net margin of 16.79%. The business had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.44 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 22nd will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 19th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $293.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Friday. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Caterpillar in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Evercore ISI downgraded Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and raised their target price for the company from $321.00 to $338.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Caterpillar from $357.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $323.35.

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.