LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Has $16.94 Million Stock Holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC increased its holdings in shares of Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 1.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 51,353 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the quarter. Caterpillar comprises about 2.3% of LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $16,936,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 38.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,218 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $805,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the period. Victrix Investment Advisors bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $2,090,000. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new position in Caterpillar during the fourth quarter worth about $579,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 18.6% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 191,640 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $63,202,000 after acquiring an additional 30,070 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,409 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,688,000 after buying an additional 2,519 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan bought 375 shares of Caterpillar stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,133,617.10. The trade was a 5.97% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CAT opened at $366.65 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $172.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.87, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $335.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $346.24. Caterpillar Inc. has a one year low of $267.30 and a one year high of $418.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.71% and a return on equity of 53.77%. The company had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.60 EPS. Caterpillar’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. This is a positive change from Caterpillar’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar’s payout ratio is presently 27.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on CAT shares. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $396.00 to $414.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $490.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $320.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Caterpillar from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Caterpillar from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $376.67.

About Caterpillar

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.