Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Has $223.60 Million Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 22.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 756,235 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 215,413 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises about 0.8% of Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Caterpillar worth $223,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CAT. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 28,603.5% during the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 1,488,813 shares during the period. Winslow Capital Management LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 1,070,570 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 781,111 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in Caterpillar by 5,293.1% during the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the third quarter valued at approximately $101,872,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Caterpillar from $385.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI lowered Caterpillar from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $321.00 to $338.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Caterpillar in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $255.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $323.35.

Caterpillar Stock Up 0.9 %

CAT traded up $2.83 on Thursday, hitting $333.90. 1,007,941 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,507,641. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $351.36 and its 200-day moving average is $302.43. Caterpillar Inc. has a 12 month low of $205.60 and a 12 month high of $382.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a market cap of $163.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The industrial products company reported $5.60 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $15.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.07 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 21.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 20th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 19th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.48%.

Insider Transactions at Caterpillar

In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total value of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 61,092 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Lange Bob De sold 21,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.52, for a total transaction of $6,899,070.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 61,092 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,886,667.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director David Maclennan purchased 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $323.37 per share, for a total transaction of $113,179.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,238 shares in the company, valued at $1,693,812.06. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 35,769 shares of company stock worth $11,508,906 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

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.