Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Bought by Principal Street Partners LLC

Principal Street Partners LLC raised its position in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 784 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 57 shares during the quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $284,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. West Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in Caterpillar in the 4th quarter valued at $230,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 23,193 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,414,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 38.3% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $805,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares during the period. Victrix Investment Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Caterpillar during the 4th quarter worth $2,090,000. Finally, Braun Stacey Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 34,837 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,637,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Caterpillar stock opened at $349.01 on Wednesday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 52 week low of $267.30 and a 52 week high of $418.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $318.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $353.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.35.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.35 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.64 billion. Caterpillar had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 58.18%. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.60 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Investors of record on Monday, April 21st were paid a dividend of $1.41 per share. This represents a $5.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is 27.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush raised shares of Caterpillar to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Raymond James raised shares of Caterpillar from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Caterpillar from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $309.00 to $395.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Caterpillar has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $375.33.

Insider Activity at Caterpillar

In other news, Director David Maclennan acquired 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This represents a 5.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.